Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod
by Heather Sinclair
Summary: Every seventy years members of the Order of the Bath, a British order of chivalry, are being killed off. That is until Harry is brought in to hunt the killer or killers down. Harry/Padma. *Complete*
1. Three Powers Joined as One

Gentleman Usher Of The Scarlet Rod

by

Heather Sinclair

_**Spoilers: **_Deathly Hallows

_**Pairings: **_H/Padma

**Rating: **PG-13 Parents Strongly Cautioned.

This story contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 13 years of age. Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in, and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 13 read this story unattended. This story contains one or more of the following: **intense violence, intense sexual situations, strong coarse language, or intensely suggestive dialogue.**

_**Disclaimer: **_This story, and any content relating to the Harry Potter franchise is not authorized by J.K. Rowling, or Scholastic Press. I own my computer ...

**Read** the story in the author's intended format at

groups./group/HSHPFF/

Authors Note:

Those of you that are intimately familiar with British Peerage and the various Orders of Chivalry (ceremony, vestiges, etc.) have my most heartfelt apologies. There are certain aspects of this story that must accept a certain amount of Authors Privilege. So while this story might not be historically accurate it will run much more smoothly. Thank you for your slight suspension of belief. Certain names and dates have been changed.

Elements of this story will contain material inspired from several Horror genre sources including various works of H.P. Lovecraft (including various author's inclusion of his material in their own stories), The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez Reverte, the movie The Ninth Gate.

I consider this story multi-genre to include: Action, Drama, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Spiritual, and Supernatural. Don't let the notes above fool you into thinking that this story is a Horror freakshow. My muse was inspired and then she went insane throwing plot bunnies left and right. I still have the scars – look, see?

Chapter One

Tria numina iuncta in uno

(Three Powers Joined as One)

Truly, there are terrible primal arcana of earth which had better be left unknown and unevoked; dread secrets which have nothing to do with man, and which man may learn only in exchange for peace and sanity; cryptic truths which make the knower evermore an alien among his kind, and cause him to walk alone on earth_._  
-From "The Diary of Alonzo Typer"

April 20, 2007, 10:07 a.m.

"Bring him before us," Queen Elizabeth II stated with a weary tone. "We must have him appointed by Monday or else the element of surprise is lost."

The elderly man bowed before his queen. "As you wish, your Majesty."

He stepped rather lively out of her rooms and to the main offices of Buckingham Palace all the while searching for a number in the contacts list of his cellular phone. He strode through entryway of his office and secured the door as he selected the name and placed the call.

No more than two rings later a male aristocratic voice answered. "Morgan here."

"She wants us to contact him."

"When?" Morgan asked.

"Today -- now. She's very insistent on this matter."

A grunt of disapproval sounded. "The Home Office is not going to be pleased."

"The Sovereign has discretion in matters of appointment. It is not for the Home Office to approve or disapprove. Find him and be quick about it."

"Understood," Morgan replied before he heard the silence of disconnection.

O

_Politics. Someone give the Killing Curse one more try, please_. Senior Auror Harry Potter stood watch over the to-be-appointed Muggle Prime Minister at Downing Street's insistence. Chatter in the intelligence community spoke of a terrorist attack at the onset of his ascendance into office. Minister Shacklebolt knew of Harry's desire for the Director's office and the fast track included a tour through the political circle.

The PM-to-be hadn't been announced as of yet, a couple of weeks to go before that happens, but during the interim Harry stood guard in what was known in political circles as the _wizard's cove_ (a five by five foot magical inset of virtually every office and gathering room of every person of reasonable power in parliament, and the home office.

Royalty was an entirely different matter. The Queen had insisted that her personal wizard, as well as those that accompanied the Prince of Wales and the two heirs would always be visible as to always be at their beck and call.

Relations between Muggles and Magicals were strained since the occupation of Voldemort in the latter half of '97 through spring of '98. The numbers of those under the Imperious Curse were so vast that it was virtually impossible to adhere to the laws concerning secrecy. Royals around the world as well as Heads of state were falling in large numbers to the hand of the Dark Lord, and if not for the brave acts of Harry Potter and his two friends Voldemort would have had all of his wishes come true.

The Official Secrets Act, pertaining to information designated as risks to national security, was updated to include various lines of the Muggle Protection Act, in essence making it a major crime for certain muggles to reveal any knowledge of the existence of the wizarding world.

Most members of the Wizengamot thought providing Aurors to guard a few muggles a small price to pay in return for all out war with the nation's government at their discovery of what had happened to them at the end of the second reign of Voldemort.

Harry sat in his chair, his eyes glazing over for the tenth time that day while the PM-to-be went about his day, on the phone mostly, when a knock sounded at the door to the office.

The PM-to-be hung up and looked up. "Enter."

Harry fingered his wand, as he always did, in vain as he watched an elderly well-dressed man enter and nod at the PM-to-be. "Orders from Her Majesty, sir."

The elderly man handed off an official looking document and waited for its inspection before proceeding. "Her Majesty orders your wizard to Buckingham Palace immediately."

At that announcement Harry's ears perked up and he stood and exited the _wizard's cove_ through the illusionary wall covering his room.

The elderly man turned and sniffed somewhat haughtily before continuing. "Auror Harry Potter?"

Harry's wand hung by his fingertips at his side as he nodded. "What's this?"

"Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second orders your presence. Your replacement will be arriving…"

A _crack_ sounded somewhere in the distance as Apparition wards had been placed around for security reasons. A moment later a knock at the door announced his replacement.

"Follow me," the elderly man ordered.

Harry's eyes narrowed for a moment and he set the snobbishness he was receiving aside in order to find out what was happening. They exited the offices and got in the black limousine waiting in front.

There were two bench seats facing each other in the rear of the car whereupon the elderly man took one and Harry the other.

"My name is Sir Rupert Manspark. I am in service to her Majesty as genealogist for the Order of the Bath." He paused as he looked for any recognition on Harry's part. As expected Harry raised his eyebrows in cluelessness. Manspark sighed. "As a citizen of Great Britain you _are_ familiar with certain Orders of Chivalry?"

Harry shrugged in slight comprehension. "You mean Lord and Lady types?"

"Yes, indeed … Lord and Lady types," Manspark replied dryly.

Harry's face hardened. "I was never a big fan of people that hold themselves up as Lords."

Without waiting for a beat in between Manspark whisked back, "Then Mister Potter I would suggest that you prepare yourself to be surrounded by them as you will soon be that which you, what was it you said, weren't a big fan of; though thankfully not a Lord nor with any royal rank whatsoever."

"What's that?"

Manspark sat washboard straight as he recited, "On the 23rd day of May in the year 1725, George the first, you do know he was king at the time do you not Mister Potter?"

Harry's lips perched in mild frustration.

"As I was saying, George the first, King of England, founded what is today known as The Most Honorable Order of the Bath."

"What's this have to do with me?" Harry shot in interruption.

Manspark's eyes narrowed. "Indeed Mister Potter, Indeed. You see there are several officers of the Order that serve Her Majesty, one of which I hold as the Order's Genealogist," he proclaimed quite proudly. "Order members have, since the beginning of the twentieth-century, been made through suggestions to Her Majesty by the Government; people that have made a difference to the Crown and her people or after a lifetime of exemplary service in the Military."

He paused and stressed his next statement. "The right kind of people. The proper kind of people."

With anticipation of an insult soon following from Manspark Harry cut him off. "Again I ask, what's this got to do with me?"

Manspark interlaced his fingers in his lap and continued. "Your mother's name was Evans, correct?"

"Lily Evans," Harry confirmed.

"At the inception of The Most Honorable Order of the Bath, the first Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod was Sir Edmund Henry Charles Evans your many-times Great Grandfather. You and your cousin Dudley Dursley are his last living direct male descendants."

At that Harry crooked an eyebrow. "You sure Duds shouldn't be here for this speech?"

The battle for most disgruntled face pulling continued. "Quite. Unlike your—how should I say this--iniquitous cousin…"

"Oh, good word. May I use that sometime?" Harry sniped.

"At your leisure," Manspark replied. "Unlike Mister Dursley, you are somewhat of a celebrity amongst your kind."

Harry smiled sardonically. "You say that with such admiration."

"I assure you it was not in the least intended."

"I get that."

Harry watched as Manspark's fingers whitened in repressed tension.

"Shall I continue?"

"Please. I assume you are coming to a point?"

"The office of The Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod is to be opened this Monday and the Queen intends to appoint you to that position."

"Excuse me?" Harry said in bewilderment.

"My thoughts exactly. However diluted the Evans bloodline has become you are still his heir and with your questionable service to the crown thus eligible."

"Um … no, thanks. I have a job."

Manspark drew a breath. "Ah yes, cavorting amongst the countryside chasing around so-called Dark Lords and relaxing in the coves of ministry offices on the government dole."

"We wouldn't happen to be related on my Uncle's side?"

Manspark's eyes widened. "I am most assuredly positive that we share no bloodlines, Mister Potter."

Harry smirked. "Call me Harry. All my friends do." Before the elderly gentleman continued he reasserted the previous claim. "Mister Manspark, I have a job with the Ministry of Magic I don't need a new one."

A grim smile fell upon Manspark's face. "You fail to understand the situation, Mister Potter. The appointment has already been put into motion; unofficially you are a Knight Commander of the Order until the ceremony thirty minutes hence."

Harry's lips separated lightly as the tension in his jaw loosened. "Excuse me?"

Manspark took no pleasure following up. "You have no choice in the matter, Mr. Potter. You will be a Knight Commander whether you want to or not. You can, of course, choose not to recognize the appointment, however unless the Queen revokes the appointment the title will remain."

"I guess I'll be choosing not to be recognized then." Harry paused for a moment while he was being scrutinized. "Damn, you still recognize me, don't you?"

Manspark lips twisted slightly in distaste. "You'll find, Mister Potter, very few people that you will meet today have a sense of humor; so you may cease with your attempts."

O

Harry tapped the back of his heels nervously as he sat in wait in the reception area outside the Queen's offices. An attractive thirtysomething business suit wearing assistant typed away on her keyboard without as much as a glance his way. _Ah, anonymity finally achieved_.

The door to Her Majesty's office opened to reveal Manspark once more and his approach brought Harry to his feet.

"While in the presence of Her Majesty you will only speak when spoken to, you will bow, you will not touch her in any way, you will be on your best behavior. Are we understood?"

Harry's eyes squinted in thought. "What if I have to pass gas?"

Without missing a beat Manspark responded, "Then Mister Potter I would suggest that you hold it."

The elderly man turned and entered the office with Harry trailing behind whispering, "You can get a disorder from that."

Manspark stopped after a few feet inside. "Your Majesty, may I present the last of the Evans line, the Wizard Harold Potter."

Harry tapped Manspark on the shoulder. "Actually it's just Harry."

An ancient aristocratic female voice sounded out before the correction was made. "Mister Potter, come forth."

Harry took in as much of the office as he could without being disrespectful. Out of the corner of his right eye he noticed a couple of people, but his mainsight held only the Queen of England. He stepped forward and bowed slightly in reverence.

"Sir Rupert informed you of your appointment." She said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he responded. "But…"

The stern face of Elizabeth stopped him before he could say anymore. "Are you in the habit of refusing the will of monarchy, Mr. Potter?"

Harry almost felt eleven years old again under her gaze. "Erm…"

"I assure you that this appointment is not to be taken lightly. Your Minister of Magic and Director of Magical Law Enforcement said your cooperation was assured."

"I… um," he sputtered.

Her head turned to the people to Harry's right that he had missed from before. "Assurances were made."

Harry followed her eye line to a somewhat familiar face.

Padma Patil stood with her hands behind her back with a constipated look on her face. "My apologies, Your Majesty. Apparently Harry has not been fully briefed. With your leave?" After a nod by the Queen, Padma turned her gaze on her former classmate. "Please Harry the situation is dire and we need your help. Accept the appointment and I'll explain things properly after."

_Dire_. _There's that word again_, thought Harry. He searched her brown eyes for any sign of what he dreaded was going to be another long fight for his life. Taking a less than noticeable deep breath he turned back to the Queen.

"Your Majesty, I am yours to command."

The elderly queen braced herself on the desk and rose to her feet. While she made her way around the ornate desk Padma stepped in front of Harry.

"Open your cloak," she instructed.

He did so and she reached around him and strapped on a very long heavy belt around his waist, slipping the end under and over above his right leg so that a good foot and a half hung almost to his knee.

Padma frowned slightly at the length. "We'll adjust this shortly. Now kneel for the Queen."

Harry raised a single eyebrow and slowly went down on his right knee.

"Both knees, Harry," she whispered. "Hurry, we are short on time."

Slipping his left leg back he felt something touching his ankle. A quick glance back and he saw two men strapping something that looked like spurs onto his boots. He turned his head back and was about to say something to Padma but found the Queen standing there.

"Bow your head Mister Potter," she ordered.

He did as instructed but his eyes darted around trying to see what was going on. A moment later he was touched on either shoulder.

"Rise Sir Harry, Knight Commander, Order of the Bath."

Harry raised his head to see the Queen handing off a short bronze sword to Padma. He took to one foot and pushed himself up and watched as the Queen exited the room followed by several of her aides. Manspark stood by the door and bowed respectfully before following.

Harry released a breath of air he just realized he was holding and turned to Padma to get some answers. He saw tension in her shoulders and the release of her cheek that he assumed she was biting.

"Can I know what's going on now?"

She nodded. "Follow me and I'll brief you along the way."

"Your scabbard, Sir Harry," one of the men said.

Harry recognized him as one the men that put on one of the spurs. He was about to grab the simple bronze scabbard when the man stepped to the side and attached it to a ring hanging from his belt.

"Thanks," he replied.

"Your sword, Sir Harry," the other man said as he offered the hilt first.

Harry took the sword and slid it in the scabbard, securing the blade.

"Are you coming, Harry?" called Padma from the door on the other side of the room.

He grabbed the hilt of the sword with his left hand. "Depends. Do I get any more nifty gifts? Maybe a horse?"

Without giving his attempt at humor any notice Padma turned and exited the room. Harry smirked and quick-stepped to catch up.

"I could use some new boots, are you sure?"

Two more rooms later Padma stopped and opened a decretive panel to call a lift.

"Harry," she said without turning around. "I'm not sorry I suggested your name to the Queen. You were the only person I could think of that fit the criteria."

He stood beside her and kept his eyes on the door waiting for it to open. "Don't mention it. I have this nifty new sword that I can stick things with. Kinda got melancholy since Neville got to keep Gryffindor's."

Padma turned her head. "That sword has a history as well."

They were interrupted by the lift door opening and Harry held his hand out for Padma to enter first and then he followed her. He watched as she inserted a key card into the appropriate slot and punched one of the lower buttons. One of the things that stood out was that he knew they were currently on the second floor and there were more than a dozen or so buttons to choose from below the one marked two.

"Tell me what you know of the Tuatha De Danann."

He blinked for a moment and shook his head. "Absolutely nothing."

"The Spear of Lugh, Claiomh Solias, The Dagda's Cauldron, The Stone of Fal, The Four Treasures," she said in frustration. "None of these ring any bells with you Harry?"

Harry released the sword hilt and crossed his arms as he leaned against the back wall of the lift. "Enlighten me."

"Bloody Gryffindor's," she said to herself. "Did you never open a book in History of Magic?"

He shook his head again. "You're getting me confused with Hermione." He raised his hand about shoulder height. "About this tall, frizzy hair, top of her class."

Padma's eyes narrowed. "Fine, short version then for the NEWT challenged. The Tuatha De arrived from four northern cities to the shores of Ireland almost four thousand years ago. They brought with them four treasures that supposedly every king of Ireland has used upon their succession to the throne. Or that's the story anyway."

Harry looked over to the rows of buttons and noticed that they were about to arrive to their destination. He stepped away from the wall and dropped his hands. "So I have to find these treasures and kill a new Dark Lord or something?"

The five seconds of silence that followed were broken by the doors opening and Padma making a quick exit.

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Padma, I was joking."

The doors started to close and Harry hopped out and caught up to her brisk pace. He looked from side to side as they followed a cave-like tunnel lined only with torches for illumination.

"What is this place? Where are we going?"

"It's the work area for the Royal Wizard," Padma explained. "For about the last two hundred years the Royal Wizard uses this as a private work station, living quarters, and ritual site away from Muggle eyes." She continued on passing a few rooms until their destination to a heavy wooden door where she stopped. "We have to complete the ritual you are taking part in."

Harry stopped and looked the door up and down trying to figure out what his school acquaintance was leading up to. "Okay, lets slow down just a tad here," said Harry as he made a stopping motion with his hands. "I didn't sign up for this and excuse me if I'm feeling a tad manipulated here."

Padma sighed. "The Minister of Magic was supposed to have covered this with you yesterday." Her head dropped down and then back up as she looked to be gathering her thoughts. "Only a person of a certain character and ability can take up the Hallows, and you will need their aide to…"

She wasn't able to complete her explanation before she saw Harry's eyes widen and sudden tension flow through his body. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hallows?" Steeled determination set over his face after which he turned and strode purposefully back toward the lift.

"Harry?" Padma almost whined.

He turned around in response but still backed up to put as much distance between himself and whatever was in that room. "I had enough with the Deathly Hallows a few years back, Padma. It almost got me killed and did get a number of people that I did know very dead. Thanks but no thanks."

He turned back and resumed his pace with Padma increasing her step to catch up. She grabbed his arm to stop him, and when he spun around in response she cringed back.

"I never said anything about Deathly Hallows. They are the Hallows of Ireland. Harry, it's not what you think."

His jaw set and his eyes narrowed. "Let me take a guess. I have to go on a quest to find these magical items that can only be held by me in order to defeat some unspeakable evil that the government has let to fester for years when they could have taken care of the problem before it got out of hand?"

"Um …" was her first response. "Sorta." But before Harry's attitude angrily increased she clarified. "There is no quest. You are already holding two of the … treasures, I have the third and the forth is in Ireland; it's a gigantic stone."

She gauged his reaction and saw that he was holding himself back for the time being. "Someone or maybe some-_thing_ is killing members of the Order of the Bath, specifically officers. The last time this happened was about seventy years ago and again about seventy years before that."

Harry's demeanor changed to curiosity. "What is this, some type of serial killer or something?"

Padma shook her head in answer. "This has been going on for since the Order's inception."

They stood there for a few silent moments before she continued. "Look Harry, like it or not this is your job. The killer is mystical or magical in nature and it is killing Muggles. You are uniquely qualified over others not because of who you are but because of the way you live your life." She tuned and headed back toward the heavy wooden door. "Now are you going to help them or not?"

His shoulders slumped slightly and he sighed but followed.

O

Harry was having a very hard time keeping the grin off of his face as they left the ritual room. Padma, on the other hand, was red with mortification.

"If you ever mention what went on in that room to anyone in your entire life I will…"

Harry's teeth filled grin widened even further. "Padma, I would never … I mean warm oil and …"

Her red face turned angry. "I mean it, Harry; not one word."

She turned and made her way to the lift with Harry's buoyant footfalls following.


	2. The Not so Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter

AN: Thanks to the folks at DLP and FFA for their help in making this story – not stupid.

Chapter Two

The Not-so-Deathly Hallows

"So tell me about these Hallows of Ireland," said Harry as he steered the conversation away from the anointing ritual to the more serious matter at hand.

They entered the underground work area of the Royal Wizard. Various bottled potion ingredients lined the walls, an empty caldron stood on a thin perch over a snuffed fire, and a small shelf with large tombs hung over a worktable. Presumably this was a potions room, however Harry noticed the lack of nauseas smells that normally accompany the typical rooms of the type.

Padma made her way to the far wall without looking at Harry. "The sword you are carrying is Claiomh Solais or the Sword of Light. It was brought from the land of Gorias as a gift to the Kings of Ireland. Supposedly in the presence of pure evil it will glow with a bright light."

"Pure evil?"

Padma turned and nodded. "It's never really been witnessed." She shrugged. "You have to take all of these legends with a grain of salt, Harry. I mean how often will someone actually encounter absolute evil, something or someone so vile as to have absolutely no redeeming qualities and a penchant for causing death of the most heinous …"

"Oh," she paused for a moment forgetting who she was talking to. "Well you're an exception to that rule I suppose," said Padma as she let her hands run down a foot long ash rod that she picked up.

Harry smirked slightly. "That always seems to be the case doesn't it?"

The Indian girl looked to the side and set the ash rod on the work table. "Anyway, the sword, once unsheathed in battle, is also said to be irresistible and have the ability to cut its enemy's in half." A dubious look appeared on her face. "I have no idea what _irresistible_ might mean in terms of a weapon in battle, but it was shown that the sword has been enhanced with magic to be unnaturally sharp."

Harry stepped forward leisurely and leaned against the worktable. "So I've got a really sharp sword that might or might not glow in the dark?"

A slight impression of distain crossed Padma's face. "Did anyone ever tell you that you have an annoying way of making interesting topic sound invariably silly?"

He shrugged with amusement. "Hermione may have mentioned something about that once or twice."

After giving him a glare she returned her attention to the rod she was holding. She picked it up from the table and held it vertically by her side. "_Athibar_!"

In the span of a second a six foot spear appeared in the rod's place.

"Oh, goodie, it's a … spear," said Harry dryly. "You know I do have a wand, and I am a trained Auror. Occasionally I do battle with dark wizards and dark creatures. I'm also known for using said wand to do this thing called magic that kinda makes these things," he gestured to the sword and the spear, "obsolete."

Padma ignored his sarcasm and hefted the spear. Without aiming she tossed the spear toward the heavy wooden door that closed off the entrance to the room. "_Ibur_!"

The spear entered the exact center of the door and straight through without meeting any resistance whatsoever leaving behind a roughly three inch gash approximately the width of the red blade that topped the weapon.

"_Athibar_!"

Once again, in the span of a second, the spear was firmly in Padma's grasp.

Harry cocked his head slightly and gave a respectful show of appreciation. He withdrew his wand and whipped it at the door. "Percucio!"

A yellow beam of light shot from his wand and hit the wooden door making a tight cylindrical hole about a quarter of the way through.

"Huh," he said with minimal enthusiasm.

Padma smirked in return and continued her dialogue. "It is claimed that in the presence of pure evil the spear head will ignite to a burning holy fire." The expression on her face was less than convinced of that portion of the tale. "Again, it is only legend. No witnesses have ever seen such an event occurring."

"_Athibar_!" she said once more and the spear returned to the foot long ash rod that Harry had seen before.

"You said I was already carrying two of the Hallows?"

Padma nodded. "The pouch at your right hip."

Harry pulled his robe open and saw a small pouch attached to the belt that they had given him. He popped the clasp and retrieved a toy sized cauldron. His eyebrow quirked.

"Place a finger from each of your hands inside and tug it gently outward," instructed Padma.

He did so and watched in pleasant surprise as the cauldron increased in size until he stopped pulling.

"Neat," said Harry as he was genuinely impressed. "I didn't think you could shrink objects, only enlarge them."

"Hammerton's First Law of Charms," Padma said with a modicum of delight. "You did pay attention in some classes." She nodded. "Actually the cauldron was its original size when you pulled it out. It has an Engorgement Enchantment that is activated by pulling on the inside. If you do the reverse from the outside it will return to its original size."

Before Harry asked she continued. "It will function as a normal cauldron of any size, but one other aspect is that anything produced inside this particular cauldron will never empty until it is vanished."

Harry was slightly taken aback. "Anything?"

She nodded. "Anything."

He pushed the cauldron back to its original size and placed it back into the pouch. "So let's say I have an urge to eat beef stew."

"If you make it in that cauldron then you can have enough to feed an entire army if you wish," Padma replied.

"Polyjuice Potion?"

"Anything," she stressed.

"Cool."

* * *

Harry looked at the picture of the Stone of Fal that Padma handed to him. "It's a dick."

Her eyes narrowed in aggravation. "It's stands twenty feet tall, Harry. It is the Stone of Destiny. All the kings of Ireland stood before it to confirm their rightful ascension to the throne."

He almost laughed. "Padma, it's a twenty foot tall, stone dick." Harry shook his head as he handed her the picture. "I'm not going to carry it around with me even if it magically reduces to the size of a normal dick."

He turned around and shook his head.

"Are you normally this vulgar?" asked Padma.

An obnoxious grin appeared on Harry face. "Well over the years my fight with Voldemort has had a – how can I put this – well it's made me a little cynical about certain things." He spread his robes apart enough to shove his hands in his pockets. "I really don't take things on face value anymore. And I can smell a load of crap from a lot farther away as well. So when someone comes up to me and shows me a picture of a twenty foot, stone dick, well I tend to get a little sarcastic and crude."

He took in the stern look Padma was now giving him. "So are we done here? I'd really like to get to the point of the story where you explain what the hell I'm doing under Buckingham Palace getting massaged with warm oil by a chanting naked girl, and then what part toting all of these neat poky things around actually serves."

At the mention of the anointing ritual Padma's body went ridged. Harry watched as she took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"It started last Thursday. There are certain office holders of the Order of the Bath: the Dean, King of Arms, Registrar and Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Genealogist, and Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod. Each time this incident occurred it has always followed a specific pattern, the deaths of those I've mentioned in reverse order."

Harry found a stool under the wooden table they were standing next to and sat down. "How did they die?"

Padma followed his lead and sat across from him. "It differs from person to person but certain facts are similar. It appears the victim is driven insane whereupon he mutilates certain portions of his body." She swallowed reflexively seemingly from revulsion. "Some scratch out their eyes, some their ears, some just claw at their face. But all of them end up with a fist sized hole off center in their chest with their heart removed … or as the case may be, torn out."

The Auror leaned forward and ran his hand across his face in disgust at the cruelty of certain people. "Which was it?"

Padma looked like she was shaking disturbing images from her head. "Which was what?"

Then Harry clarified. "Was the heart removed or was it torn out?" At an uncertain look from the girl he went even further. "If it was removed then there will be signs of surgical precision: neat cuts, the rib cage sawed or cut, etcetera. Torn out gives the impression that someone punched through, grabbed a hold and ripped…"

Padma held her hands up. "Stop! I get it." Her skin paled noticeably. "They were torn out. It was … horrible."

Harry blinked and stood up in shock. "Padma, did you see it happen?"

She shook her head. "After. I was the one who found him."

He reached across and placed his hand on hers in understanding. "I'm sorry."

A few moments passed. "Can you take me there, where it happened?"

She nodded.

* * *

Exiting the fifth level underground Padma escorted Harry along a plush corridor. The marble floor echoed Padma's heels. Harry tuned the noise out and concentrated on the portraits that hung every ten feet or so.

"This floor houses the temporary quarters for the Order officers in times of crisis," she explained as she stopped before the first door.

"Is this it?" asked Harry in a subdued manner.

Padma shook her head. "The end of the hall, last door on the right."

Harry nodded. "Why don't you stay here. I'll check it out."

She slowly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Harry."

About halfway down the hall Harry stopped and called back. "Can you lower these lights for a couple of minutes?"

Padma nodded and looked around until she found the controls for the light and lowered them about three-quarters of the way down.

"That's good," confirmed Harry. Withdrawing his wand he incanted, "_Leukos Noir_!"

A constant conical dark purple light emanated from his wand to the floor. He tracked back and forth and then along the wall up to the last door on the right where he covered the entire door before proceeding.

"Okay, you can turn them back up."

Before he completed the request the lights were returned to full brightness. He guessed that Padma was more than a little on edge. Without making matters worse by acknowledging her nerves he grasped the handle and depressed the latch to swing the door fully open.

"Good god," gasped Harry.

Fully understanding now why Padma was so edgy Harry followed a very large patch of dried blood in the center of the room to the splatters seven to eight feet in front of where he assumed the body was found. Another string of blood adorned the far wall. He envisioned something pulling the heart out of a man's chest. Knowing the killer had to be incredibly strong to accomplish such a feat. One just doesn't pull somebody's heart out. There were bones to get through, arteries, muscles and a score of other things that held the heart in place.

He pictured the killer pulling it out and the force of the extraction slinging blood up the wall.

Leaning in he found the light switch and flipped it off before sweeping his wand in leveled arcs across the room. Frowning slightly he flipped the switch and ended the charm he was using. He started at the door and worked his way around the room counterclockwise. Reaching into his robe he dropped off his wand and retrieved a notepad and a pencil.

The suite consisted of a main room for entertaining only a few guests, probably other Order officers that lived on the floor. Harry couldn't imagine visitors would be brought down there. Stepping over the splatters of blood he entered the study where he found a simple but elegant desk and a few bookshelves containing mostly biographies of past Order members and historic books of what Harry assumed was pertinent information about the office.

A quick check of the desk revealed nothing of note other than a curious fetish for multicolored paperclips.

The bedroom revealed even less and it looked like it hadn't even been lived in for weeks. Obviously the former Usher had never, or at the very least rarely, spent the night in the quarters.

It wasn't until he came back around to the main room that he noticed a small book on the floor. It was bound in weathered leather with a single leather thong hanging loosely. He upended his pencil and flipped the book open.

"Excellent," he whispered.

He closed the book, secured the thong around the clasp in front and pocketed it in his robes. After finishing the walk-around he stopped off center of the room to examine the floor where most of the blood had dried.

Harry was somewhat disappointed with the lack of clues as to what or who did the actual killing. There were no magical echoes that would have been revealed with his initial scan. So this was something else entirely which disturbed him far too much. His only other hope for something decent to go on was the victim's body itself which he was not looking forward to seeing.

* * *

The body was being held in the palace's medical facility for the Royal Physician to perform an autopsy. Harry found out from Padma, actually he already knew, that the Royal Physician never performs autopsies. But considering the circumstances surrounding the murder everyone in a position of authority thought it was in the best interest to keep certain details out of the press.

Padma, again, waited outside the doors to the facility while Harry perused the autopsy report. He tried to keep the revulsion off his face as he looked at the body outline sketch and all the markings to the face and chest area. The report said that the facial injuries were most likely self inflicted and the killing injury to the chest was performed with human-sized clawed hands but with one anomaly. There were only three noticeable fingers and a thumb that performed the digging that resulted in forcible extraction of the heart.

Preliminary blood work showed nothing and they wouldn't have any official results for another three days.

Harry took a deep breath and noted the storage door that contained the body. He walked over to the first of three stainless steel meat locker looking doors and tried his best to get that image out of his head. Closing his eyes he blew out the breath and took another as he opened the door and pulled the tray out.

Unlike most television shows or movies that Harry had seen over the last few years, most dead bodies are not covered in pristine white sheets. That usually makes for increased costs for cleaning and delivery. Instead, most bodies are either contained in a general body bag, or simply nude. This victim's body, to Harry's dismay was the latter. The first thing to jump out at him was the victim's Y-shaped chest incision typically performed to examine the internal organs.

Large sutures held the incision closed but the gaping whole where the victim's heart used to be was still open. He noted why the doctor had concluded the hand held three fingers and a thumb. He could clearly see what could be a thumb shaped arc in the lower left quadrant of the wound and then three finger shaped arcs evenly spaced in the other quadrants.

Two ribs were protruding slightly, their jagged edges showed and Harry let out the breath he was holding when he tried to imagine how much raw power the murderer had to perform such a violent action.

His arm moved to his mouth and nose as to unconsciously limit the amount of tainted air he'd be bringing into his lungs. Harry found this action amazingly unsuccessful. Then his eyes found the victim's face.

"Bloody hell," he said as he narrowed his eyes and struggled to keep his breakfast down.

Numerous scratches which were obviously from victim's own hands, if what he had been told was true concerning the self-mutilation, covered what was left of the face. The left cheek was torn from mouth to ear in a demonic visage of a half-smile and his eyes were torn out, lids and all.

Harry turned away and took a couple of steps to distance himself from the body.

"Fuck this," he spat and turned back to give a very intense examination of the rest of body before shoving the tray back and closing the door.

* * *

Padma leaned against the wall outside of the medical facility with her arms crossed as she heard the metal security bar being slammed upon resulting in a pale-faced Harry Potter exiting. She watched as he took a few steps away and exhaled whatever breath he was holding and took in several lungs full before turning to her.

"What are you hiding from me?" he demanded.

Her eyes widened and her head shook in denial. "Nothing, I swear. We have no idea who's doing this," she almost pleaded.

Harry returned her denial with a small head shake of his own. "No, not who. It's a what." He turned, paced a few steps away and then turned back. "A Muggle or a Wizard may be controlling whatever did that, but the killer is not human."

Padma's mouth opened at the news and then shut again just as fast.

He saw what he hoped was the truth in her reaction. Spreading his robe he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Who's next on the list?"

"The Order's Genealogist," she replied.

His eyes narrowed. "What, that Manspark guy?"

She nodded.

_"He's a tightass, but nobody deserves to die like that_,_"_ Harry thought to himself. "Where's he at now?"

"Upstairs."

Harry nodded. "And what kind of limitations do I have."

Padma's brow furrowed. "None, you have the Queen's full support. Anything you need: personnel, equipment, funding, whatever you need to put a stop to this once and for all is yours." She paused for a moment. "It's one of the reasons you were knighted. You are being made an officer of the Order. Next Saturday is the installation ceremony, and …"

Harry's face lost its color again. "Excuse me?"

"What?"

"I'm being made an officer with a crazed murderer running around killing the very same officers of the Order? Doesn't that sound … oh, I don't know … maybe like something you should have told me before … like when I standing there in front of the fricking Queen?"

Padma deflated in relief. "Harry, you are being made the new Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod. The previous Usher has already been killed. You're safe. It only kills the current officers."

Leaving his left hand in his pocket he withdrew his right and palmed his face. "And if by chance I don't catch whatever is killing everyone I guess in seventy more years, when I'm as old as McGonagall, I can come back here, scratch my eyes out and get my heart tore out of my chest?"

She stepped up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Harry, it's not a lifetime appointment. You may resign whenever you choose."

Harry continued to look down and moved his hand to Padma's shoulder then to her neck. He raised his head up and looked into her brown Indian eyes. Leaning in he pursed his lips slightly. Padma let go and jumped back in surprise.

"Harry!" she squealed in admonishment.

"So I guess a pre-battle shag is out of the question?" he inquired with a little smirk.

With her hands on her hips and standing defiantly she responded. "I am quite sure, of your quest to bring the murderer to justice; the Queen did not mean you can take advantage of the staff. And even if she did, Harry Potter, don't think you can just gaze at me with those green eyes of yours and think that I'm going to drop to the floor and spread my legs for you." She turned and strode to the lift with her head held high.

He lifted his hand to make a point of order. "That's _Sir_ Harry."

* * *

"So why exactly do I have to be an officer?" Harry asked as they exited the lift onto the second floor above ground where they originally started.

Padma led the way through the palace. "The treasures, excluding the Stone of Fal are normally stored in the Henry the Seventh Lady Chapel of Westminster Abbey. That specific chapel is also the Chapel of the Order. It is legend that only the leaders of the Order can control the Hallows."

He nodded at a passing at an attractive twenty-something brunette that was smiling at him. "Are there anymore legends that I should know about? Any lingering prophecies, treasonous friends … are you sure I don't have to hunt anything down?"

He was rewarded with an over-the-shoulder scowl which he returned with a bright smile. "Just checking."


	3. The Journal

Author's note: Thanks again to the reviewers and the guys over at DLP who are keeping me on my toes.

**Chapter Three**

**The Journal**

Sir Rupert Manspark stared out of the second floor window lost in though when Harry and Padma arrived. A soft knock on the door from Padma announced their presence. He turned away from the window and Harry saw that the snooty and emotionless expression dropped into place across the elderly man's face.

"May I assume Sir Harry has been brought to date on recent – occurrences?"

Padma nodded. "Yes sir."

Manspark's cold brown eyes tracked to Harry. "Your course of action?"

Harry walked in and pulled out a chair from in front of the desk. He sat and leaned back and after fiddling with the sword hanging by his side he crossed his legs at the ankle. "I'm thinking I need to know a little more about the last few times this happened. I tend to work better with all the available information if you want me to do my job properly."

Manspark seem to consider him for a few moments before showing his assent. "In the year 1795 as the date of Order inception approached, the first of several murders was committed."

Harry nodded. "The Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod?"

The side of Manspark's mouth twitched slightly. "Correct. However, Sir Harry, when you refer to that particular office it is commonly referred to simply as _Scarlet Rod_. The office is to be yours as of Monday." He turned his head to Padma. "Have you not informed him of his duties?"

"I assumed you'd want Harry to get to work on the murders considering you're next," Padma shot back in an almost irritated voice.

Manspark's eyebrows rose slightly. "Quite." He took two steps closer to the Indian girl. "Miss Patil, in the future when referring to a member of the Order, any order or member of any peerage you will use their proper title. Do I make myself clear?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Excuse me, _Sir_ Rupert. Padma and I went to school together. She can call me anything she wants." After a very brief moment of reflection Harry made a decision. "Actually I was hoping for maybe, _baby_, or perhaps _sugar bunch_." He grinned in response to Manspark's slight sneer. "Think that's too over the top?"

Manspark didn't seem the least bit amused. "Careful Sir Harry, your lower breeding is showing."

Harry's grin faded to a slight smirk when he took to his feet and dug into his robes. "Tell you what, when you start being a little nicer to those people that are trying to save your obviously impacted bowels and the body that they are attached to then give me a ring." He withdrew the leather-bound book and shrugged his head at his friend. "Come on Padma."

When they neared the door the elderly man called out. "Wait."

Harry turned and folded the book to his side. "Yes?"

Conflict raced over Manspark's face. "Do you know who …"

Harry cocked his head then shook it in response. "Not a who; more of a what."

Manspark didn't even twitch as he stood there expressionless.

"_Sir_ Rupert, the creature we are looking for probably stands about a meter and a half to two meters in height with an indeterminate amount of clawed limbs. It is exceptionally strong and has the rather nasty ability to punch through bone, and muscle with one stroke. It can also remove the heart of its victim with that one hand." Harry's face went cold. "Now you can either drop the holier than thou attitude and work with us, or I can always wait until it has claimed you and then do my job."

Manspark didn't give him any indication of toning down his less than witty repartee. "Where did you get that?"

By following his line of sight Harry lifted up the leather bound book. "This? This was at the murder scene. It's the latest victim's journal. I'm hoping we can sit down and find out if he had any insight as to what killed him."

He lifted it up and unwound the leather thong. "By what I glanced at earlier I think that your Scarlet Rod was into something he wasn't supposed to be." Harry concentrated on Manspark's body language before asking his next question. "Any idea what that might have been?"

The elderly man's eyes flicked between the journal and Harry. He relaxed his posture and crossed his arms. "No, I've no idea."

Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Huh, oh well." He slung the journal to his side. "Have a happy closed casket funeral." He didn't even bother turning to the door before Manspark broke.

"Mister Potter … Sir Harry," Manspark started as he dropped his arms and held them behind his back. "I truly do not know what Myerson was up to in relation to the murder."

Padma moved closer to Harry. "You're worried about what else might be in the journal."

Harry's smile returned and he nodded a thank you to his friend. "Of course," he said. "Look, I really don't care if you and your little club like dressing up like Japanese schoolgirls and go frolicking in gay bays." He watched as Manspark's face reddened. "I'm here for one thing, the murder." He shrugged. "Oh, and the schoolgirl thing? Eww."

Manspark brought himself to his full height. "I've informed you before, Sir Harry, I do not have a sense of humor."

Harry's smile became toothy again. "That's what makes the whole thing so funny. You keep right on playing the straight man." He handed the journal to Padma. "Go through that and see there's anything that might help."

Padma made herself comfortable at a small conference table in the middle of the room with a legal pad and a sharp pencil while Harry and Sir Rupert continued their conversation.

"Did Mr. Usher guy have a schedule?"

Manspark nodded slightly and then pressed a button on the intercom. "Miss Pearson, have Myerson's schedule for the last…" he looked up at Harry who returned four fingers. "The last four weeks along with any corresponding driver logs. Have it sent in as soon as possible."

Harry withdrew his notepad and pencil as he leaned back and crossed his legs. "What else can you tell me about the murders over the years?"

Manspark interlaced his fingers and leaned into the desk slightly. "There isn't much from the 1795 murders. We do know the order they were killed though through recordkeeping, dates of death and so forth." He pursed his lips and then continued. "The only surviving record of what actually occurred was a diary of a traveling friar. He spoke of cleansing rituals, blessings used to confront the evil that walked the halls."

The elderly man looked more aged over the last few hours. "We assumed it was a figure of speech considering his occupation. I mean …"

Harry nodded and tried to push him onward. "1865?"

"Pardon?"

"1795 plus 70 equals 1865," clarified Harry.

"Right." He blinked a few times. Harry thought the look that crossed Manspark face was showing someone that was encountering their own mortality for the first time.

"Actually it was early 1866. The dates in between incidents are not exact, but approximately seventy years," he explained. "The order of killings was the same starting with the Scarlet Rod until the Dean was killed two weeks later."

Manspark stood and walked over to a closed cabinet, retrieved a key from his pocket and unlocked what Harry saw was a fairly nice cache of liquor. He poured three fingers of brown decanted liquor and took a decent sized pull before turning. "Sir Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No thanks."

The elder knight swirled the liquor a little before continuing. "It wasn't until the murder of the Genealogist that a historian made the connection between the previous murders. Since the Church seemed to have played a positive role before, they brought them back and blessed each member of the Order. They spent their days in prayer, took communion, and carried around various symbols of the Church for protection."

Harry made an entry in his notebook and then looked back up. "I take it that didn't do any good."

In answer a mild head shake was returned. "No."

In a subdued voice Harry asked, "How did it end?"

After another pull from the glass Manspark continued. "The Dean at the time, Sir Arthur Trench discovered the whereabouts of the true Claiomh Solais. Thinking it his last and only hope he prepared himself for battle." After a lengthy pause he looked at Harry. "The next morning they found him like the others except for one small difference."

Harry tilted his head in expectation.

"There was a small amount of an unknown substance charred on the sword."

"Charred?" inquired Harry.

"Burned, Sir Harry." After another drink, to either steel his nerves or to begin a day long drunk, Manspark clarified. "His aide found him as the others. He still held the sword in his left hand. A battered long-shield across the room, and some sort of remains on the sword were the only evidence that there was a struggle of some sort."

"Harry," Padma called out with a slight bit of eagerness in her voice. "I've got something."

He was quick to his feet and over to the table. She flipped two pages of notes to the beginning. "Sir Rupert, would you please secure passports for the three of us. We'll need to travel to the United States."

Before Harry perused the notes he said to nobody in particular, "My Auror badge will get me through customs."

Manspark picked up the phone and dialed while Padma turned to the relevant pages in the journal.

"The Scarlet Rod apparently knew more about what was happening than anyone else," Padma started. "The beginnings of the journal spoke of how he was aware of the previous murders and the investigation of how they occurred.

"It wasn't until later that he was able to have the charred substance analyzed that he truly understood the ramifications of the discovery."

"Miss Patel," interrupted Manspark. "Where will we be traveling?"

"Arkham, Massachusetts – specifically, Miskatonic University," she answered.

"Excuse me?" replied a more than skeptical Harry.

She looked up from the journal. "I know, right?"

Manspark hung up the phone and walked over to the table with a more purposeful stride. "I've heard that name before."

"American literature," Harry explained. "H.P. Lovecraft. He was a creation of the American's Department of Magic to cover up a city-wide break in the statute of secrecy." He shrugged. "They couldn't obliviate everyone."

Padma nodded. "An aspiring writer in the local magical community was set up with a reoccurring section in a periodical of the times. He used tales of the Great Old Ones as his background. The magical event was said to be a sort of advertising for the periodical."

Harry watched Manspark sipping at his drink again noting the slight tremor in his hand.

"Do you mean that …"

Padma closed the journal. "Oh yes, the tales of Lovecraft are quite real." She relaxed her posture and gave the elderly man a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. All of the Old Ones and the Elder Gods were banished millennia ago. There is no chance of them returning."

Manspark pulled out a chair and sat down abruptly. "I don't remember the stories well. In fact all I can remember is people going insane."

Harry looked thoughtfully out of the picturesque window behind the desk while Padma continued.

"There were a plethora of ancient demons, hundreds of feet tall and hideous to behold whose goal it was to enslave the people of Earth or destroy them as the case may be. For those of a weak mind to even see any of these demons was bad enough. They would be frozen in their tracks at the shear horror of their appearance."

Harry spun on his heel and rapidly approached the table. "While others, of a more organized mind, those that could actually understand the ramifications of the appearance of such creatures – they would go insane often turning to self-mutilation, murder, suicide, and catatonia."

Manspark sat horrified, unable to speak while dawning overcame Padma's features. "Harry, you don't think?"

"And you don't," he said incredulously. At the shaking of her head he pressed on. "Then why do we need to go to Miskatonic U?"

She picked up the journal in response and fell short of waving it in front of Harry. "Myerson requested certain materials be sent to him: scrolls, books. Harry, he requested the Nerconomicon." Padma was almost on the edge of nerves. "They refused." After a few moments of reflection she continued. "You aren't suggesting that someone has found a way to breach the barrier between realities?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm suggesting that not everything was banished three-thousand years ago, and someone or something has found a way to reawaken one of these creatures and is using it to kill people."

Padma pushed away from the table. "Ridiculous!"

Harry stood to his full height. "Fine, then answer me this Ms. Patil." He flicked his fingers one at a time. "Something is driving men mad enough to claw out their own eyes. Something with clawed hands is ripping those very same men's hearts from their chest. Something was possibly wounded by some sort of _Holy Sword_ leaving its blood or whatever passes for blood as charred remains on the very same sword."

Still flicking his fingers he pressed on. "We know that Myerson did a DNA analysis of the blood and probably found out that it was not of this earth or at the very least an unknown quantity. We also know that he turned to Miskatonic U for answers." He set his hands on the table and leaned in. "It's a duck, Padma."

The Indian girl's face collapsed to disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about, Harry?"

He stood once more and shoved his hands in his pockets. "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…"

Manspark finished. "Then odds are it's a duck."

"Then by your own admission," said Padma defensively. "It could be a dark creature summoned and controlled by specific person or persons and not some mythic demon from beyond."

Harry shrugged. "Oh, I suppose it's possible, but highly unlikely. We're talking about hundreds of years here Padma. My guess is that there was someone back around 1795 that messed with something he wasn't supposed to and the officers of the Order of the Bath are paying for it to this day. Besides there was no magical residue at the scene of the crime, and also no physical evidence around the scene. Whatever killed Myerson somehow appeared in his room killed him and disappeared leaving nothing but his blood and a mangled body behind."

Manspark looked like he had had enough. "What is the next plan of action, Sir Harry?"

Harry pointed at the journal. "We follow the clues, travel to MU to try to figure out what Myerson was after and determine what it is we are fighting. Then I kill it and possibly bring whoever is responsible to justice – if they're not already dead yet."

Oo

After Manspark secured his and Padma's passport they walked downstairs to one of the back entrances and were met by, what Harry assumed was the same limousine that brought him to the palace. The Auror cursed at the sword in a futile attempt to sit comfortably with a two and a half foot length of bronze hanging from his left hip. As a final resort he unhooked it and tossed it a Padma.

"I feel ridiculous enough walking around in Muggle London wearing robes, you can carry that."

She rolled her eyes with a slight bit of distain and set the sword between her legs.

"Sir Rupert, tell me about the next set of murders," he said as a way to pass the time to the airport.

Manspark looked away from the window he was gazing listlessly through. "1936," he said as he closed his eyes briefly to recall the pertinent information. "The eve of the inscription ceremony…"

"The what?" interrupted Harry.

Manspark looked mildly irritated at being cut off. "Your knighting was out of the ordinary, Sir Harry. Normally there is an inscription ceremony to officially knight chosen candidates. However the choice is ultimately upon the discretion of the Monarch."

"Gotcha."

Seeing Harry's acknowledgement of understanding Manspark proceeded. "The eve of the inscription ceremony the Scarlet Rod, Genealogist, Deputy Secretary, and Registrar were dining in a private room at a restaurant in London. When the staff went in to serve the third course they found all of them dead."

Harry's eyes shot wide. "All of them at once?"

Manspark nodded.

"And nobody heard anything?"

"Nothing."

Harry leaned his head back and pondered the occurrence before asking his next question. "How were they found?"

"Excuse me?"

"How were they found? What happened? Did all of them die sitting down with their heads in their soup or maybe hanging from the chandelier?"

Manspark's eyes narrowed. "As the others, mutilated and their hearts ripped out."

After shaking his head Harry leaned forward. "Were they all mutilated in the same way?"

Taken aback, Manspark thought about it. "I don't know."

Padma interrupted. "What difference does it make, Harry?"

"Patterns, Modus Operandi," he clarified. "It might help identify the creature or it might help determine how or when the next murder will occur. There are always patterns. We just don't see them yet."

An intercom beeped and the voice of the driver came over. "Sir Rupert we've arrived at the main concourse."

"Harry, I can't carry this through the airport," Padma said as she passed the sword to the Auror.

With a grimace Harry took reattached the sword and used his cloak to cover the weapon. It wouldn't do to create an incident with security. They exited the limousine and made their way through building to a punch key locked door where Harry entered a code and proceeded through with his companions.

They were met on the other side by what anyone would consider Muggle security guards. He flashed his Auror badge and they were let through to another room. Manspark raised an eye at the simple blandness of the small room.

A lone desk stood near the door manned by a single aged wizard who looked up at the party's entrance.

"Mr. Potter, a pleasure to see you again. Where to this time?"

Harry nodded to the wizard. "The States, Massachusetts. Destination is Arkham."

The wizard stood and motioned them to a three foot square map hanging on the wall. He withdrew his wand and tapped the map. "Arkham, Massachusetts, United States."

The map flashed and displayed the state in the center highlighting Arkham and Boston.

"The closest I can get you would be Boston. You'll be able to Apparate from there," he noted. He looked at Manspark and at Padma before turning his eyes to Harry. "You'll need to transfigure your robes to something more pedestrian. You know how the Americans are about fitting in."

A few moments later and Harry was wearing a black trench coat similar in length and color to his robes. "Better?"

"Much," the wizard acknowledged. "Passports please," he said as he gestured to Manspark and Padma. After handing them over they were inspected and handed back. "Very good."

He gestured to the far wall. "Step this way." Once the wizard reached the wall he lifted his wand and made a downward motion. "Revealio!"

The illusion covering the wall melted away and revealed a four foot wide doorway or sorts. They couldn't see the other side of the door for the complete absence of light. It appeared, for all intents and purposes, a doorway to nothing.

"First time, Sir Rupert?" asked Harry.

The elder knight nodded his head as he steeled himself against the unknown. "Yes."

Harry held out his arm. "Just hold on to my forearm and don't let go until we arrive."

Manspark looked down at Harry's arm and back up to the door before grabbing a hold. His grip tightened to an almost painful level and Harry pulled away. "Relax, you aren't going to get lost or anything. If you let go you'll just bounce back to the beginning."

Manspark nodded again and took a firm grip of Harry's forearm.

"Just walk like you're strolling through the gay bar in your Japanese schoolgirl outfit – except not so gay," Harry smirked and looked back at Padma. "I do have a reputation to protect."

Before Manspark was able to comment Harry pulled him through the portal.

Arriving on the other side of the portal, Manspark stumbled but caught himself. His eyes were wide and panicked for a moment before he saw the room around him and the lettering above the door against the far wall that read: **Welcome to Boston**.

A wizard at a very similar desk as the previous office set down a magazine and stood with a bored look on his face. "Welcome to Boston. Passport's please."

As Harry retrieved his Auror Badge he heard Padma arrive. The wizard reviewed the attached credentials and handed them back to Harry. "Here on official business, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, then maybe a little wine and dancing. Sir Rupert here has quite the reputation with the Foxtrot, I hear."

The wizard gave Harry a penetrating look. "If you are here for leisure, Mr. Potter, then you will be required to show a regular passport."

Harry looked at Manspark and then at Padma. "Is this a government thing with the no humor?" He sighed. "We're here on official business."

"Destination," the wizard yawned as he inspected and stamped the two passports.

"Miskatonic University. We'll probably only be here for the day," answered Harry. "Maybe one night."

The passports were returned and they were pointed to the closest Apparition point. They pulled up the necessary Apparition travel information from the helpful wizard stationed at the desk outside of the Embark/Disembark room.

"Grab on one more time, Sir Rupert," said Harry as he offered his arm. "Manspark grabbed on as he did before and Harry clamped a hand over his. Harry gave him an evil grin. "I promise this will be more uncomfortable than the last trip we made."

He pulled Manspark into a spin and they Disapparated. Their world solidified around them at the Entrance Hall of MU and Manspark went weak at his knees gasping for air. A loud crack of Apparition later and Padma joined them.

Harry looked around the area and then at Padma. "Any idea where we're going?"

"The library."

They received directions at the information desk and walked across campus to an ancient gothic building. The color had returned to Manspark's face by the time they made it down to the Special Section located in the basement level.

The Special Section at MU was world renowned for its massive collection of esoteric mystical works. Separating the library from the door stood a long wooden counter where the SS librarian stood sentinel as he went about whatever SS librarians do when not being pestered by people wanting to use their collection.

"May I help you?" he opened as he glanced at Padma with a peculiar eagerness. One could almost assume that he didn't get out much, or at the very least didn't get to see very many attractive women in his hidey hole in the basement.

Padma stepped forward and produced the journal. She set it on the counter and opened to a marked page. "Hi," she said as she produced a flirtatious smile. "We're here on an official capacity attached to the British Ministry of Magic."

She turned the journal around and pointed out a section. "Sunday last, Sir Walter Myerson requested these materials and was refused. We'd like to the opportunity to see them in regards to his murder."

The bored look on the librarian's face switched to defensive shock. "Murder?"

Harry reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his Auror badge. Holding it out for intimidation purposes he gave the librarian a stern look. "This is official Auror business. I would appreciate your cooperation."

The librarian's eyes darted from the badge to Harry's face and then to the journal. He nodded and then pointed to an adjacent door. "Through there. Pick a workroom. I'll bring them to you."

Harry flipped his credentials closed and gave the man an appreciative nod. "Thanks."

oO

"All of this," Manspark said as he leaned back in his chair to stretch his neck after three hours of constant study. "Well its quite disturbing."

Harry rubbed at his eyes and noted the time. "I'm starving."

Padma looked up and screwed up her face. "How can you eat after reading some of this?"

Harry grinned. "Gotta keep up the mythic stamina. Never know when I'll have to go all night."

She rolled her eyes in response and stood up. "I have to visit the loo. I'll be back."

"Thanks for the info," Harry shot back.

Padma's statement seemed to have sparked the need in Manspark. "I'll return as well."

"Didn't I tell you two to go before we left?"

After they left the room Harry decided to work out the kinks in his legs not to mention the numb butt that was induced by the heavy wooden chairs. His little jaunt down to the end of the hallway and back was less than productive however it gave him time to think on his readings.

There were far too many servants of the Old Ones and the Elder Gods: cults, followings, human and not so human among them. It was almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. He knew that they were no closer to finding out what was killing the officers of the Order than they were when they started.

The one book Harry, or anyone else for that matter, hadn't had the desire to open was the Nerconomicon. It was named the Book of the Dead for a reason. It was said that the tomb was written in human blood on parchment made of human flesh and bound with the author's face literally peeled from his living head. The revulsion factor alone was enough not to lay hands on the ancient book.

Contained therein was the darkest of magic used for Necromancy, summoning of evil in all of its incarnations, manipulation of the soul, and numerous other dark acts as to virtually corrupt one's soul just by its reading. No, Harry had no desire to open its pages. But he knew he would.

"HARRY!"

His head snapped up as he looked down the hall to the exit where Padma ran screaming down to him.

"It's here!" she cried.

Harry's wand was in his hand as he took off past her. "Where?" he called back. His shoulder slammed into the almost closed door slamming it open and he knew without a doubt where he needed to go. He just followed the screaming.


	4. The Hounds of Tindalos

Author's note: Thank yous go our to the guys at DLP, FFA, and PC for their feedback and help. Additional note. Future chapters of this story always premiere first at Patronus Charm dot net first. It is much more user friendly over there and way easier to read than this place. Check it out.

**Chapter Four**

**The Hounds of Tindalos**

Harry got three steps out of the Special Section before he was able to identify the exact location of the screams. Twenty feet to his left he spotted a sign that read **Restrooms**.

"Crap," he said to nobody in particular and then rushed toward the loo. "Padma, lock off the area. Get everyone out!"

Not wanting to slow his increasing pace he flung out his wand and yelled, "_Reducto_!" The dark red beam shot out and blasted the restroom door to splinters. He quickly noted the wet tiled floor and a small u-bend corridor before he deduced he would enter the restroom proper.

His boots slid on the tile and he grunted as he slammed into the wall. Spinning around he finally faced the creature. It stood on six extremely muscled legs ending in large clawed hands, not paws. A barbed three foot long prehensile tail whipped back and forth. The most disturbing feature was the almost human-looking face with pure white eyes and a gaping maw filled with jagged teeth dripping with grey ichor. It reminded him greatly of Moony in his werewolf form except the mouth unhinged and expanded well beyond what should have been possible.

"Bloody hell!"

Manspark lay screaming on the floor mere feet in front of the creature clawing at his face, his face that was covered in a blue mucoid substance.

The creature turned its head and gave Harry its full attention as it emitted a high-pitched ear-piercing screech that made him think his ears were going to implode. Without waiting for further preamble he slashed his wand in a diagonal swath through the air. "_Sectumsempra_!"

The effect was immediate and disgusting. The curse ripped into the hide and part of the creature's face opening a three foot long gash which resulted in a spray of blood in a downward arc. Within a second Harry noted two things: the blood was bright blue, and the creature was severely pissed.

Leaving Manspark to rip at his face it turned fully to Harry and leaped. With almost no room to maneuver he jumped to the side and the exit of the room. The creature's claws dug into the tile at its feet and ripped apart the floor as it gained traction to turn. It bounded up the wall and leaped backward as it spun in the air to tackle Harry.

"Avada Kedavra!" Padma yelled from behind

The sickly green curse that Harry had become intimately familiar with throughout his life hit the creature in the face and had absolutely no effect. He pushed backward and rolled to the side as the creature slammed into the floor inches from his body. Its claws dug through the thin carpet and into the concrete underneath.

Harry rolled away again but he had no time to gain his feet before the creature opened wide its maw and snapped at him. Its tongue shot out another two feet beyond its mouth and Harry noted with a surprised yell that it had a mouth full of fangs all its own.

"Gah!" Quickly deducing that typical curses weren't going to work he played with the idea of incinerating the foul thing with Fiendfyre, but doubted its effectiveness. Instead he stayed with what he knew worked.

"_Sectumsempra_!"

This time the curse cleaved the large face in half and the keening wail sounded again louder than before. Harry slammed his hands against his ears and winced at the lancing pain. Blue blood sprayed and he pushed back with his feet digging in to the carpet for traction to put as much distance between himself and the creature as was possible.

Padma invoked the curse as well, hitting the creature from the side, amputating one of its middle legs. It spun on her and as it did a spray of blue blood whipped across her body. The effect was immediate: she screamed.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" She spun around and threw herself to the floor tearing at the blue blood coating her face.

Black rage filled Harry's soul and he lanced out again forgetting his doubt from before. "_FIENDFYRE_!"

Living flame engulfed the creature searing its hide. The flame swirled in tornadic circles eating at its flesh as the creature literally bounced in the air and then to the ground several times in agony. "Die you fucker!"

Harry took his attention away from the creature for a split second to whip his wand at Padma. "Scourgify!"

Her screams continued but in a less demanding tone. Harry hoped that he had cleared all of the blue blood away but he was too distracted by the monster from hell.

The creature flailed for another moment then bounded back trailing the living fire along with it and ran at the wall behind. Smoke billowed out at the inverted corner and the creature disappeared into its depths.

"What the fuh?"

Padma's screams ceased moments after the creature's disappearance and turned to sobs as she curled into a fetal ball. Harry got to his feet and moved to check her injuries. Her hands were spotted with her own blood from clawing at her exposed skin in effort to rid herself of the creature's blue blood.

"Padma, you'll be okay. Here, let me heal the scratches," Harry said in soothing tones. She fought him briefly, struggling with his attempt to see her face. Finally he used his strength to pry one of her hands away. He passed his wand along the fingernail wide cuts she had inflicted on her face and hands incanting a skin knitting charm along the way.

"What the hell was that thing?" he muttered when he finished.

She looked up at him and shook her head with lack of knowledge. Once he saw that she was in control of herself he looked back at the restroom. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Go," she said in fear for their traveling companion.

Harry still held his wand in front of him as he entered the restroom just in case the creature decided to make another appearance. He blew out a breath of relief when all he found was Manspark's body on the floor, unconscious.

His face was a mess of self-inflicted wounds and Harry noted one of his eyes had been punctured and was leaking a clear viscous fluid down the side of his face. He checked the pulse point at Manspark's neck and sighed at the irregular rhythm.

Numerous yells filled the air as campus security decided to show up. Harry dug in his pocket for his Auror badge and had it out and open when two of them entered the restroom.

"What happened here," the older of the two men snapped.

Harry didn't bother with answers just yet. "This man needs a healer. You can interrogate me later." He looked over at the younger man who held his face in a disgusted grimace at seeing Manspark's visage. "Now!" yelled Harry.

Oo

"I don't give a crap if you allow it or not. I'm not leaving this room until I see at least three Aurors here standing guard," Harry said with determination at the security guard that first arrived at the scene in the library.

While the campus hospital seemed safe enough so did the basement of the library. Two healers were working on saving Manspark's eye while others were insuring that he actually stayed alive through the shock that his body had been though. Apparently being over sixty years old and being attacked by a rampaging demon type creature wasn't good for the heart.

"Auror Potter, it's not …"

Harry cut him off. "That's Senior Auror Potter."

"Excuse me?"

Harry held up a finger and retrieved his credentials again. Flipping them open he pointed to the rank in front of his name. "See, Senior Auror." Harry shrugged and gave the guy a shy smile. "Yeah I know. It's a recent promotion but darn it, I'm proud." He sighed noticeably. "And to think, I've only got about five more years and I can be considered for Head Auror."

The security guard gave Harry a face that said he wasn't buying the act.

"Though Head Auror kinda has a … yanno, a gay tone to it," he mock whispered. "I was hoping I could change it to Chief Auror or maybe Auror-in-Charge. What do you think?"

The security guard turned around and left the room. Padma stood aside as he was leaving and gave Harry an inquiring look. He returned it with a baffled shrug.

"All I asked him was if he thought the sword made my butt look big." He shook his head in resignation. "I guess some guys just aren't secure with their sexuality."

After rolling her eyes Padma took a quick look at Manspark, or at least his legs considering he was surrounded by healers. "How's he doing?"

"He's not dead and that's all I'm concerned with for now," he replied. "What'd Lizzie say?"

With a disapproving scowl Padma leaned against the wall. "The Queen sends her regards for saving Sir Rupert. She has the Deputy Secretary under close guard around the clock."

Harry leaned back mirroring Padma's stance against the opposite wall and crossed his arms. "I'd really like to get back to the library and catalog this thing. It kinda pisses me off that splitting its freaking head in two had almost no effect except for making it run away." He made an exaggerated look of disgust. "Fiendfyre, Padma. It acted like it was just normal fire and it _still_ didn't die. I mean if someone split my head open and set fire to me I'd at least have the decency to lay down and die."

"You didn't use the sword," mentioned Padma.

"Pardon?"

"The sword?" Padma said as she pointed to his side. "We gave it to you so you could maybe kill the thing."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Tell you what, the next time the six-legged psycho man-dog from hell is racing at you I'll give you the two foot sword that glows in the dark and see how well you do. Me, I'm putting as much distance between us as humanly possible." He shook his head in reflection. "I mean did you see the size of the mouth on that thing? Oh, Oh, and the tongue! It had a mouth on its tongue. Who does that? I mean here I am, I'm God or Satan or whatever, and I say to myself, 'self, one gigantic freaking mouth isn't enough, let's put another one on the tongue!'"

"Mr. Potter?" said on of the healers as he rounded the bed.

Harry arched his chin in the air. "That's me."

The healer slid his wand into his smock and struck a lecturing pose with one hand in the pocket at his hip and the other waving around emphasizing his points. "Mr. Manspark will recover. We've grown a new eye to replace the damaged one; however we are unsure whether or not it will function properly because of a foreign contagion. We had a devil of a time growing new nerves." The healer gave off an excited air. "It was quite a challenge."

Harry's eyes went a little wide. "Well Doc, I'm glad we could get you off so easily. Want to step outside for a cigarette?" Before the healer replied Harry slid in a question. "When's he good to go?"

The healer looked thoughtfully. "Ideally I'd like to keep him overnight for observation just in case there is a problem with the new eye."

Harry nodded. "Fine. I'm having the Department of Magic send over some Aurors to keep guard. Would you inform your staff that they are not to send them away for any reason?"

Now the healer looked kind of wishy-washy. "It's not really department policy…"

Harry leaned in and his face hardened. "This is a close personal friend of the Queen of England and she would be greatly pissed off if this man dies while under your care. Now Padma and I took care of the thing that tried to kill him a couple of hours ago, but it's not dead yet and _will_ likely try again." He stepped closer and watched as the healer retreated a couple of paces back. "If anything happens to him before I come back because of _department policy_ I will be well and truly pissed off. And Doc – you really don't want to be around when that happens."

oO

Once the Department of Magic provided the requisite Aurors Harry gave them a quick briefing and left them to do their business while he did his. Upon their return to the Special Section they noted that everything had been repaired and no sign of the attack remained.

"Creepy," Padma said in hushed tone. "We almost died here only two hours ago."

Harry shrugged. "You can't think like that, Padma." He jutted his chest out a little to appear more confident. "We kicked the bad guy's ass just a couple of hours ago and sent him back to lick his wounds."

She held her head a little higher at that realization.

"And you kicked ass, by the way."

A satisfied smile crossed her face. "I did, didn't I?"

Harry closed and laid his left arm across her shoulders. "Yeah, kinda made me a little excited seeing you standing there all pissed off, protecting your man. Avada Kedavra, and all that."

She stopped and reached over to remove his hand with a single finger and thumb. "There will be no more warm oil massages, Harry."

He stopped while she continued. "Wha…" He cursed himself and tweezed his fingers. "That close."

The librarian gave them both a wary look as they entered and Harry returned a fish-eye. "Do you guys practice the _disapproving glare _or something?"

He found himself ignored and the librarian pushed on to a more pertinent subject. "The materials have been returned and I have instructions not to allow you further access."

A bright smile lit up Harry's face. "Oh really! I finally get to kick somebody's ass?" He leaned into the counter. "Hop on your little phone or floo, or whatever it is you Yanks use to yap at each other and get whoever gives you your marching orders down here." On second thought Harry added, "There's about to be an international incident."

Padma set her hand on Harry's shoulder and closed next to him. "We just need to see the Necronomicon. The rest of the materials were not fruitful."

The librarian's eyes jogged back to Padma and Harry could see the internal fight he was giving himself to resist Padma's charms. "It's just … the library has one of the most valuable collections in the world. We can't take the chance on …"

"What's your name?" Padma added in a seductive tone.

Harry rolled his eyes, turned around and leaned his elbows against the counter as he looked the other way.

"Chip," he answered.

"Oh, that's such a cute name," Padma said in delight before her face turned semi-serious. "Chip, look, Harry and I are trying to find out what that thing was that attacked our friend … and me." A sad look came over her face. "What it did really hurt me, Chip. Do you want me to get hurt again because we didn't know how to defend ourselves properly?"

Chip shook his head in a daze. Harry looked like he was going to lose his lunch.

She smiled thankfully. "That's so sweet of you. Well if you let us look at that nasty book we'll get out of here and you won't ever have to see Harry's face again."

Padma laid it on thick when she tossed her hair to the side and tilted her head revealing her long, smooth neck.

Chip's eyes shot straight to the bared region and he almost jumped to his feet. "I'll give you guys one hour. That's shift change. After that I can't do anything."

Padma's eyes brightened. "Oh Chip, thank you!"

After turning back from a big pile of goo, Chip disappeared into the stacks.

"I think I'm going to vomit from the sugar overload," said Harry as he stuck his finger down his throat mockingly.

They made their way to the workroom they used previously and waited for Chip the Librarian to bring the dark tome. When he arrived he set it in front of Padma with an eager smile. Harry wondered if she was going to give him a nice scratch behind his ears and say 'good boy.'

Instead she asked, "You wouldn't by chance know if it's indexed?"

Chip shook his head. "I'm somewhat familiar with the content. What are you looking for?"

Padma ran her finger across the table in lazy arcs and pouted slightly. "We're trying to find out what that thing was that hurt me."

Chip opened the book and checked the table of contents then he paged though until he reached about three-quarters of the way. "Planier Creatures are listed here. You'll have to search through to find what you are looking for."

She gave him a bright smile. "Thanks Chip. I don't know what we would have done without you."

The librarian turned into a pile of metaphoric goo again and slithered off with a dumb look on his face. Harry just looked on dumbfounded. "Do you always get what you want?"

Her bright smile dropped and her eyes closed slightly as she turned to him. She opened her mouth just enough to run her tongue slowly across her top lip. She inhaled slow and deep in effect lifting her breasts slightly in an overly seductive gesture. Harry swallowed while other parts of his body twitched.

"Never mind," he said as he looked away and whispered to himself, "Bloody women."

Padma smirked and looked down at the book and the first etching before she paled.

Oo

"Okay, now I'm sure I'm going to vomit," Harry said as he pushed the book back toward Padma.

Her face had regained its color after the last time they had switched. Taking turns between pages had reduced the amount of revulsion they both felt at the etchings.

"I mean a polymorphous frog demon that slurps up its victim's intestines like spaghetti is putting me off pasta for a while," he said as he swallowed down the bile rising in his throat.

Padma held up her hand. "Please, I'm still trying to get over the parasitic cephalopod that burrows its way into the brain by way of the spine and makes you eat swine droppings."

Before Harry could respond with something sarcastic she cut him off. "Harry! Here it is!"

Harry took a breath and leaned in over her shoulder. "The Hounds of Tindalos. What's a Tindalos?"

She pulled the tome back to her and let out a frustrated sigh. "I think it's more of a where not a what. Look it says here that they materialize through angles. When the hound is about to appear smoke gathers at a corner and then you will see its head appear. From what you told me, that's what happened when it left."

Harry backed up. "Let me get this straight. It comes from corners? That has got to be the lamest thing I've ever heard?"

She pointed out something else. "Here, it says that 'the foul expresses itself through angles; the pure through curves.'"

He lifted up an eyebrow. "So all we have to do is stick Manspark in a big round inflatable ball and he'll be cool, right? It'll be like that bubble-boy movie I saw."

"Would you please be serious for one moment?" was her reply.

He sat down and leaned back. "Fine, so how do we kill the hounds?"

She held up a finger. "Give me a minute."

After a few minutes she leaned back with a far away look of dread in her eyes.

"What?" Harry asked as he sat forward in his seat. She didn't say anything so he followed her finger as it still lay against the last passage she read.

_The Hounds are immortal and are believed to lust after something in humankind and other normal life, and will follow victims through time and space to get it. Once a human becomes known to one of these creatures, a Hound of Tindalos will pursue the victim through anything to reach its quarry. The Hounds are like fire, and ice, and rage. They are like the night and the storm and the heart of the sun. They are ancient and forever. They burn at the centre of time and they can see the turn of the universe._

"So this is bad," Harry deadpanned.

Padma turned to him. "Harry, they're immortal. They can't be killed. And we've become known to them. They won't stop until we are dead."

"According to this thing," he said with much doubt in his voice. "Padma, I've killed Evil that thought itself immortal before. And we already know that it can be hurt." He leaned back and brought a thoughtful look to his face. "We just need an edge."

"The sword?"

His eyes sharpened. "What? No. I … do you actually thing that this thing would take down that beast we fought without it ripping off my head in the process?"

"The spear then."

Harry shrugged. "Perhaps. It's nice and long."

Chip the Librarian opened the door and stuck his head through. "Time."

Harry stood up and waited until Padma gathered herself together before brushing past Chip. "Oi, Spanky! Give it up. I don't share well."

Padma stopped and gave Harry a dark glare as he passed her up. "What makes you think I'm yours to share?"

Harry smirked. "You were mine as soon as I felt you spend more time than was necessary spreading oil on my butt this morning."

Her eyes shot open. "Wha…"

"Don't deny it. You rubbed that butt nice and good."

She looked back at Chip. "It was an anointing ritual. I did not rub his butt any more than was absolutely necessary."

Harry made his way down the hallway. "Just letting you know up front, Patil, I don't go in for the whole pegging thing so get that out of your dirty mind."

He jumped through the doorway to avoid the stinging hex she threw his way.


	5. Regrets

Author's note: Remember, you can view this story days earlier at Patronus Charm (dot) net. Thanks go to the guys at FFA and DLP for their help and support.

**Chapter Five**

**Regrets?**

After checking in on Manspark's continued improving health Harry suggested a late dinner taking into consideration it was almost eleven o'clock in London. Harry wiped away a dollop of ketchup from the corner of his mouth after taking the last bite of his Double Quarter Pounder with cheese. He slurped noisily at the remnants of the vanilla milkshake and leaned back with a truly satisfied look on his face.

"Nothing like a pint of grease to make you feel like living," said Harry as his eyes hooded sleepily.

Padma shook her head and poked at her salad. "You're going to die of a heart attack by the time you're forty if you keep eating like that."

"Bah," he replied in distain. "Grease – because my heart can take it!" he proclaimed.

He jumped up. "I'm going for apple pie, you want?"

She shook her head and Harry was off to the counter.

"Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?" the cashier asked with fake enthusiasm.

"Two hot apple pies please."

She punched the appropriate buttons. "Would you like fries with that?"

He returned a raised eyebrow and the cashier realized what she said. Instead of apologizing she turned around and pulled down his order and made change. When Harry returned to the table and received another disapproving look from Padma he popped open the carton and slid the contents out.

A frown overtook his face. "I miss the fried pies. Baked just isn't the same."

Padma dropped her plastic spork and blew out a breath of disgust.

"What," Harry said through a mouth full of baked pie.

"How can you just sit there stuffing your face?"

Harry looked from side to side in confusion then swallowed. "Well I got pulled away from my normal lunch hour to chase this dog-demon thing, and I missed my normal dinner hour saving our asses from the very same dog-demon. So, I'm kinda hungry."

Padma leaned forward and slid her hand in her hair as she slumped. "In case you haven't noticed we've been effectively targeted by something that is immortal and would like nothing better than to rip out our hearts."

Harry shrugged. "You have to take time out to eat and sleep, Padma. If you don't then you are going to be dead on your feet when it comes time to fight. Oh, and the dead on your feet thing … no pun intended."

She ignored his joke and moved her eyes around the dining room. Harry noticed and sighed slightly. "It's not going to attack us in public."

Padma stopped her visual reconnaissance and look at him. "You don't know that."

Harry nodded. "Sure I do. It's a simple deduction." He set down the last remnants of his pie and wiped his fingers on a napkin. "It's only ever initially attacked people in private. It's a lot easier to take out your victim if they don't have people to back them up."

Padma shrugged her acceptance. "What do we do now?"

Without a thought Harry set a very confidant look on his face. "We are going to get a room at the campus hotel, get some sleep, pick up Sir Constipated in the morning and go back to London."

It didn't take Padma long to say, "I don't think that I can sleep knowing that thing can just pop in whenever and wherever it feels like."

Harry conceded the point. "We'll sleep in shifts. I'll take the first if you'd like."

She nodded for a second. "Wait, what? You're saying the same bedroom?"

A small smile crept up on Harry's face. "Believe it or not, Padma, I have been known to be in the same room with a woman and not have sex with her."

She scoffed. "Pfft."

"No, really, I was alone with Hermione for quite a long time during Ron's desertion," he said in defense of his honor.

She raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't count."

"Why?"

She shrugged.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "No, really … tell me why."

"Well, she's not exactly brimming full of femininity, Harry," said Padma.

All sense of humor left Harry's face. "If you call her Herman I'm going to get violent."

In her defense Padma looked insulted. "I have never called her Herman. That was Parvati."

"Right," he said as he was less than convinced.

Trying to defuse the situation, she continued. "I am just pointing out that the girls you spend time with are very beautiful."

Less than convinced Harry countered. "And this predisposes me to shag every girl that crosses my path?"

Padma shrugged. "Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Lavender Brown, Su Li, Laurel Michaelson, Ginny Weasley…"

"I have never had sex with Ginny Weasley," he shot in.

Mildly surprised she added, "Oh really. She seems to think different." Padma laughed under her breath. "She was quite descriptive with the encounter."

Harry shrugged in annoyance. "Well then it must be true." Fed up with the direction of the conversation he stopped her from continuing. "Look, we can sit here and I can regale you with tales of my sex life or you can get a relative good night's sleep. I mean you are nice looking and all, Padma, but I think I can restrain myself for one night. So what's it going to be?"

oo

"Oh hell, that was good," Padma said through heavy breath as she fell back against the mattress.

Harry wheezed. "This totally blows my ability to restrain myself. I feel so naughty."

Padma laughed. "I'm telling everyone I meet that you couldn't keep your hands to yourself."

"Well if you didn't go and do a striptease right in front of me I could have controlled myself."

"Ha! I was in the loo and you were on the other side of the room," she claimed. "I didn't even have a chance to put on the cheap bathrobe.

"See! That's what I'm saying. Out you waltz in your knickers while I'm saying my evening prayers."

"You dropped your wand," she countered. "You were not praying."

"I was good though, wasn't I?"

She nodded. "After the third time I think you found your rhythm."

Wiping at the sweat on his brow he chuckled. "I think Ginny Weasley and her storytelling has gotten me shagged way more than I could have done otherwise." He paused for a moment and noticed the light from the window. "Oh look, it's morning already."

Padma pushed herself up from the bed. "I'm going to shower."

Harry smiled to himself at the retreating backside of his morning lover. "What's that?"

"Hmm?" she replied and turned slightly to look over her shoulder.

Harry pointed as he shifted to his side and raised himself up. "On your lower back. Is that a star?"

Padma's hand moved to her hip and she stopped herself from reaching around and touching the black tattoo. "Oh … yeah. Just a little something from the celebration after I turned seventeen." She shrugged. "Misspent youth."

Harry smirked. "You've got a wild side to you."

She returned his expression in kind. "You have no idea, Harry." And with that she grabbed a towel from the shelf above the sink and disappeared to the shower.

OO

Manspark was rather subdued on the trip back to London, so much so that he didn't even flinch at Apparition or the Transportation Portal. Harry guessed that ripping your own face off might have certain psychological pitfalls of which he wasn't aware. It really wasn't even until they were half way to Buckingham Palace that the Genealogist said something other than an acknowledging grunt.

"Sir Harry?"

"That's me," Harry returned, trying to stay as glib as possible under the circumstances.

Manspark cleared his throat and set his face in stone. "It appears that I was – premature in my estimate of your character."

Harry blinked away his confusion. "Huh?"

The Genealogist's face twisted up in frustration at having to explain himself further. "I was wrong in treating you as you were below me," he said as simply as he could. "I am apologizing, Sir Harry."

Harry shrugged. "Oh, well in that case. Okay." He waited for a few moments until he was sure that Manspark was satisfied that his apologies were accepted. "You know, of course, that I'm still not going to let up on the jokes."

There was a slight tremor beside Manspark's injured eye, almost, but not quite a twitch. "Please, feel free to derive your childish pleasures from whatever makes you happy."

A wide smile stretched across Harry's face. "Now there's the Rupert that we all know and love."

Trying to cut off the impending banter Padma asked a question. "Sir Rupert, how is the new eye? Were the healers able to make full restoration?"

Manspark reached up and lightly touched his cheek below the injured eye. "It is not quite a hundred percent." He paused in quick thought. "It is like I am seeing through a thin fog with one eye and perfectly well through the other. Quite distracting."

"I'd imagine," she offered in sympathy. Then she continued. "I wanted to let you know, Sir Rupert that Harry confronted the beast without second thought…"

Harry shook his head in denial. "Padma, don't. We're guys. We do things a certain way. If you go and make me sound all noble and self-sacrificing, no matter how true it is, then he's going to feel weird, and then I'll feel weird. There'll be this whole weird thing going on. Guys don't do this." He puffed out his chest comically. "You're messing around in sacred guy rituals."

Then as an afterthought he added. "We're not going to hug so get that out of your pervy mind."

"Certainly not," Manspark added in firm agreement.

The limousine came to a stop and the door was opened by the attendant standing outside. "Welcome back Sir Rupert, Sir Harry."

Manspark nodded in acknowledgement. Harry jumped out and pumped the attendant's hand. "Harry Potter, Knight Commander, Order of the Bath. How's it goin'?"

He clapped the attendant in his shoulder with his free hand and smiled excitedly.

"Um," the attendant clambered. "I …"

"Excellent!" Harry shot back.

Manspark looked on with distain. "Sir Harry, would you please not molest the staff."

The previous night's activities shot through his mind. "Too late."

They made their way through the palace to Manspark's office where a single Auror stood guard by the door and two others were inside with the Deputy Secretary of the Order. Upon their entrance a seventy-something man in a tailored suit took to his feet with a very angry look about him.

"Rupert, what the bloody hell is going on!" He rounded the desk and made his way to Manspark. "I was pulled out of my bed at eleven o'clock by these three hooligans and dragged off to the downstairs quarters. They tell me my life is being threatened and…"

"Michael," said Manspark, cutting his friend off. "I was nearly killed last night and would have been without the efforts of Sir Harry." He paused for a moment and then added, "Your life and those of the officers of the Order are in great peril."

Harry turned his head toward Padma. "As opposed to average peril."

Sir Michael Covington caught the Senior Auror's eye and confusion showed on his face. "Sir Harry? Of what Order?"

"Our own," answered Manspark. "Her Majesty though it prudent to enlist his services. He has certain gifts that have proven most useful."

Covington's eyes narrowed then shot to the Auror's around the room before returning to Harry who pulled his coat apart to shove his hands in his pockets.

"Magic users," the Deputy Secretary said with irritation. He turned fully to Manspark. "What did I say, Rupert? Letting them run roughshod through the government was a mistake. There are reasons that we have kept the societies separate."

Harry smiled and arched his back slightly. "Couldn't agree with you more, Sir Michael, but this wasn't caused by today's society on either side. It's been around for hundreds of years." He stepped forward on one leg and cupped his mouth using a stage whisper. "And we prefer the term Wizard or Witch; much more P.C." Harry winked at Covington and nodded at the two Aurors standing guard.

After they took their cue and went to stand their post in the hall Harry continued. "Your quarters underground are being outfitted to possibly prevent the attack." Harry didn't look quite convinced at the precautions. "It may or may not work, but I'm not going to take any chances on something simple just because of my doubts."

"What are you talking about?" Covington shook his head in confusion.

Manspark waved a hand at the small conference table. "Maybe we should have a seat." Before joining them he turned and made his way to the locked cabinet to procure some of the brown liquor that he had the previous day.

Covington looked on with a surprised and somewhat disapproving eye but said nothing. Harry once again struggled with the sword at his left hip and wound up detaching it and setting it on the table. Once they were all relatively comfortable Harry took the lead.

"For some reason we've yet to uncover, the officers of the Order are being systematically killed off every seventy years since its inception." He paused to watch the look on Covington's face change from curiosity to concern. "There is a demonic creature know as a Hound of Tindalos that has the ability to appear wherever and whenever it wants, drive its victim insane with pain through some unknown way …"

Manspark interrupted. "Saliva."

"Excuse me?" asked Harry.

"It's the saliva," Manspark said before he swallowed in remembrance. "I was washing my hands when I smelled something that was … unnatural. I turned and there it was." He sipped at the half-empty glass. "It spat at me, in my face. I've never felt such pain."

Padma shuttered beside Harry. He spared a glance at her to see her eyes closed.

"Great," said Harry and then shrugged. "Well at least we know something we didn't yesterday. I might add that its blood has the same effect, crippling pain."

Covington looked on with disbelief. "You are serious? Such a creature exists?"

Harry raised his hand high. "Stands about this tall, looks like a cross between Mr. Universe and Huckleberry Hound, with a tail that has these nasty curved barbs. Oh, and you can't forget the gigantic mouth full of spiked teeth which isn't enough because on the end of its two-foot long tongue it has yet another mouth." He squinted in thought. "Anything I miss?"

Before the rehashing of what Padma considered old news she jumped into the conversation. "Harry, we need to contact the Unspeakables. Now that we've narrowed it down to the Hounds they should have more information."

Feeling just a tad irritated Harry rubbed at his eyes in frustration. "And we didn't start there because…"

Padma shrugged. "Have you ever been down to the Department of Mysteries Records Room?"

Reflecting back to the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts he squinted and then shook his head. "Records Room, no."

Oo

As soon as the entered the lift at the Ministry of Magic Harry's mood soured. Even twelve years after the fact, Harry had not been below the Atrium level of the Ministry. The long L-shaped hallway had not changed, neither had the so-called security measures to keep out unwanted visitors. What had been added since Harry's last visit to the Department of Mysteries was a single guard station.

"Purpose of your visit to the Department of Mysteries," said the monotonous voice of the plump wizard.

"Access to the Records Room, Auror Business," Harry returned with a less than jovial attitude.

"Identification."

Harry gave him the fish-eye and then retrieved his Auror badge. The guard examined and then set it on the desk. He pointed his wand at the revolving wall where the doors were that led to the bowels of the Department.

"Seventh door to the left."

Harry grabbed his badge and led the way to the seventh door.

"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Padma in an overly concerned voice.

He stopped and didn't bother turning. "I don't like this place – and no, I will not be all angst-ridden and share my feelings on the subject." He took a quick breath placed an overly fake smile on his face. "So let's get what we came for and get the hell out of here, 'kay, fine, right."

After opening the door he stepped inside the room and came to a full stop. "Oh – my – freaking – god."

As far as he could see there were boxes stacked atop one another. Piles of paper, and parchment leaned against endless walls. Some piles had collapsed while others were tittering as if the slightest breeze would scatter them across the floor.

"Oh, hell no," he said in astonishment. "Please tell me I'm not spending the rest of my life in here searching for one piece of parchment that holds all the answers."

"Not exactly," Padma snickered. "Come on. And whatever you do, don't touch anything."

Harry scoffed. "No shit."

Padma led him in a trek through the mess to the left side of the room. "Everything here has its place. As long as you store something in the general area it's supposed to be in then we can access the information." She stopped as she was about to step over a box and almost lost her balance into a seven foot pyramid of parchment. Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back receiving a smile of thanks in return.

"Sorry," she said. "Anyway, we're heading to the main reference book for this section. See," she pointed to a good sized text sitting on a pedestal. "That's the one for Dark Creatures. It should cover what we are looking for."

They ducked under a makeshift shelf that was stacked with boxes.

"We couldn't have come here instead of going to the States?"

Padma shrugged. "We could have but do you know how many Dark Creatures there are and have been in existence." She didn't wait for an answer. "Thousands, ten of thousands. Trust me; it was much easier to narrow it down with the materials Myerson wanted. And since we know what we are looking for then we can access all the pertinent information on the creature."

When they arrived Padma opened the book to the index and started flipping a number of pages at a time, delving deep into the book. The thing that Harry noticed was that the book looked that it maybe held a couple of hundred pages at the most, but once she got halfway through it didn't seem she was making any further progress. She just kept turning more and more pages.

He looked over her shoulder and saw as she was progressing nicely through the alphabet to the H's. Once she found the appropriate letter she slowed her pace and paid closer attention.

"Weird," he commented.

Looking around once more he sighed at feeling the impending boredom. "So how come you know so much about this place?"

"I worked here for two years," she said matter-of-factly. "Oh, here we are: The Hounds of Tindalos."

"Blah, blah, blah," she murmured to herself as she skimmed the material. "I already know that, tell me something I don't … oh."

"Oh, what oh?" asked Harry as he moved in closer.

Padma turned around. "They're independent creatures that pretty much appeared around the dawn of time. It means that they don't necessarily work for anyone other than themselves. They aren't slaves to any particular Old One or Elder God." At the inquiring look on Harry's face she grinned. "That's good news in a way, Harry. It means the odds that there is something nastier than the Hounds out there are slim."

"Ah," he pondered that while she continued to read.

She pointed at a passage in the text. "This confirms what the Necronomicon said about them having the ability to travel through the passages of time. That might help in explaining the whole seventy years thing."

"It really isn't seventy years to them is it?" asked Harry.

She shook her head. "I'd say not. It might be minutes, hours, or years. We have no way of knowing."

Harry shook his head to clear out the confusion. "Is there a way to hunt these things down?"

"No," Padma said conclusively. "They hunt you down." She looked back to the text. "They normally catch sight of their pray when they are being scried upon. Basically if they see you, you're dead." She said flatly. "They'll cross countless millennia to hunt you down and apparently rip out your heart."

Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and spun in place with a sour look on his face. "This makes no sense. The officers of the Order currently are and were Muggles, right?"

Padma nodded. "Except for you."

"So exactly how are they able to scry, much less scry into the past?"

No answer was forthcoming so Harry asked another question. "How about protections?"

She shook her head. "Nothing that would protect us against an independent creature. If it were one of the Old Ones or an Elder God then I could suggest something. Even if they were servants of one of them, but …" Padma blew out a frustrated breath. "We couldn't even secure a single room enough to keep these things out. I mean the whole 'no angle' thing is pure conjecture. It might only be a coincidence that it disappeared into the angle of the corner. It might have passed through a nice flat wall just as well."

Harry nodded and then cocked his head to the side looking like he was about to make a decision. "Fine then, we trap the bitch and kill it before it can poof away into smoke."

Padma looked less than convinced. "Harry, we don't even know if it can be killed."

"Are you saying that if we trapped it and picked it apart piece by piece; then maybe, oh, I don't know, popped each piece in a bucket of cement, let it dry and then dropped it to the bottom of the ocean that it wouldn't work?"

Padma snapped her mouth shut and looked at him like it was the most brilliant idea in the world. "Uh."

He smirked at her response. "You know, you're kinda hot when I'm smarter than you."

Padma's elated face dropped to an insulted grimace. "You are not smarter than me."

oO

"Hi Harry!"

Harry and Padma turned into the Auror pool after exiting the lift. He stopped and forced a happily surprised look on his face. "Hannah, how's it going?"

Hannah rushed up to the Senior Auror. "I heard about the mess over at Miskatonic U. last night. Are you okay?" she said as she looked like she wanted to run her hands down his jacket, or perhaps elsewhere. She stopped herself short and eyed Padma. "Oh, hello Parvati."

"It's Padma, Hannah. She's working with me on the case," Harry clarified.

Before Hannah could start in again Harry cut her off. "Who's on duty today?"

Hannah's eyes lit up. "Oh, Su Li and I. Everyone else is out on assignment."

His smile stayed thin and tight. "Great! Well suit up. I need back up."

She turned and almost ran back. "Su Li!"

An Asian girl's head popped up from the middle of the cubicles. "Oh, Hi Harry," she said and then smiled brightly.

Padma leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Is there anyone from our class that you haven't shagged?"

He turned his head slightly and gave her narrow eyes. "Parkinson …" his eyes widened a little as he tried desperately to remember another name.

"Harry, that was supposed to be a joke," she replied in disbelief. "You aren't serious. Everyone?"

His mouth opened slightly but no sound came out.

"Millicent Bulstrode?"

A very pained look fell over his face. "I was very drunk. It was a late. She used Polyjuice Potion … would you believe the Imperius Curse?"

Padma visibly shuddered. "I can't believe I slept with you."

"Oh! Parvati!"

Shock overcame her face. "You slept with Parvati!"

"No," he held his hands up. "I mean I didn't. And there's more. I just don't remember the names after ten years."

"Eloise Midgen?"

"No, HA!" Harry proclaimed in victory. "See, not everyone."

Padma saw the two female Aurors returning so she let the subject drop for the time being. Harry smiled at his little triumph and pressed the call button for the lift.

Su and Hannah double checked their robes and wand, as was standard operating procedure for Aurors before they left the Ministry, when the lift doors open. Harry waved them in and followed with Padma after. When he turned around Padma crossed her arms and stewed slightly.

"Daphne Greengrass," she said abruptly as the lift doors closed.


	6. Its a Trap

Author's note: Remember you can view this story first at Patronus Charm (dot) net. There is a link to the story on the front page. You can actually read it in your choice of fonts and the reviews are a heck of a lot easier to leave and respond to.

**Chapter Six**

**It's a Trap**

After consulting with Manspark and Covington, equipment was brought in, and a single room in the Palace's underground residence for the Order was set up. The bait-room was closed off where the only entrance was the door leading to the hall. Harry wanted something with a little more room to maneuver, but thought it best to stay with someplace familiar to the demon. In doing so it might lend it a false sense of security. Three of the wall's corners were plastered into smooth curves along with the floor and ceiling moldings. If the _corners_ legend was true there was only one way for the creature to enter.

Closed circuit cameras were brought in and mounted at intervals to give an optimum view of the bait-room. Lastly a single semi-comfortable chair was placed furthest from the corner. That single chair would hold the bait for the evening's event.

"I'll volunteer," said Manspark as he was, yet again, nursing a brown liquor that Harry found out earlier was brandy.

Harry nodded, and nobody disagreed with the decision, considering the Hound failed in its attempt the previous time Manspark would be the most likely choice of victim for any future attack.

"Who's got the face shields?"

Jonas Swift, one of the Auror guards handed over a curved translucent piece of plastic with an adjustable elastic band attached to one end.

"Everyone wears protective face shields and gloves," ordered Harry. "This thing's spit and blood act like an acid without the actual eating away of skin, which in hindsight might be a good thing. Make sure all exposed skin is covered."

"Any idea when it's going to attack?" Swift asked.

Harry shrugged. "All the attacks, so far, have been at night. It's the best we have to go on." Seeing the unsure look on Swift's face Harry nodded a single time in sympathy. "I know we don't have a lot of solid facts to go on here." He looked around and caught everyone's eyes. "Look people, we're dealing with something here that nobody's ever seen and survived. Sir Rupert, Padma, and I have been marked." Harry pointed at Manspark. "He's bait, and Padma and I are first in. Swift, I want you and your team with Covington two doors down in Command Central just in case I am wrong about who the next mark is."

He turned to the other two Aurors. "Jenkins, you and Fitzroy are our backup. If things go pear-shaped I want you inside and cutting this thing to shreds. Under no circumstances does the Hound make it out of this room."

Harry's demeanor turned cool. "The Killing Curse has no effect, so don't waste your time. The Rending Curse has worked well for me so far. I assume other heavy cutters will work: Decapitation Curse, Joint Splitter, etcetera. Don't waste your time with Jinxes or Hexes."

As a second thought Harry added, "And watch where you are pointing your wand. It's close quarters in there and I'd like to come out of there with all of my limbs."

With a final look at everyone involved he nodded once. "Questions?"

OO

Command Center was set up in the second configured safe room where each of the people involved took turns watching the monitors. Manspark was centered on one of the screens looking increasingly twitchy. Harry couldn't blame him. The elder knight was armed with his, mostly ceremonial, personal sword. Covington made his own opinion known about the questionability of such an archaic weapon. He personally sat there checking the ammunition clip of a semi-automatic pistol for the tenth time that evening.

"How are you doing in there, Sir Rupert?" Harry asked in his headset.

He watched as the man on the camera moved his hand to his ear to play with the receiver. "Delightful, Sir Harry -- and yourself?" Manspark returned in light sarcasm.

Harry shrugged to nobody. "Thinking about my bed right now, actually. I didn't get much sleep last night." After a moment Harry added, "I just wanted to check in and let you know that we're alert and watching. So no wanking unless you want it on the internet by morning."

Manspark's hand dropped and he clutched his curved sword bringing it upward and resting the blunt side against his bent head. "I would be most grateful if this creature would make an appearance."

"You and me both."

_Prafffft_.

Harry jumped and spun around at the noise. Covington sat there with his face reddening. Then the smell hit. Harry shook his head and waved at the air.

"Apologies," said Covington. "Nerves. My stomach isn't what it used to be."

Harry rolled his eyes then saw Padma waving her wand issuing an air-freshening charm.

"Harry! The cameras!" yelled Swift.

He spun back and saw all four screens had gone to static. Without a second thought he Disapparated and reappeared in Manspark's room. Another Apparition crack sounded and Padma was facing him. Manspark jumped to his feet with his sword at the ready except there was nothing to attack. The creature had not made an appearance.

"What the hell?" spat Harry as he spun once more in place like the creature would make a sneak attack. "Bugger!"

He grabbed Manspark's arm and Disapparated again returning to the Command Center and into chaos.

Two Aurors were already on the floor disemboweled. Covington was fumbling for his pistol and Swift was holding the Hound at bay with a Flame Whip Charm.

"_Sectumsempra_!" Harry yelled.

The Hound jumped a half-second before and Harry's shot went wide and dug into the wall sending a cloud of plaster and sheetrock everywhere.

"_Separatus_!" Padma yelled and sent a Decapitation Curse at the creature.

Again it dodged a split second before the curse left the girl's lips and it bounded off the wall and came straight at her. She screamed as it spit mucus at her but apparently running around on walls did nothing for its accuracy.

Swift's Flame Whip slashed through the air and he landed a blow across the Hound's midsection causing it to drop to the floor and roll away. Several rapid shots rang out into the air as Covington finally got a hold of his pistol. The Hound jumped at the impact of each of the bullets but it didn't even slow it down.

Harry jabbed his wand forward. "_Lacerate_!" A constant bright blue light issued forth from his wand and penetrated the hide of the Hound. The keening wail Harry remembered from the previous night lit the air. The blue light punched through the other side of the creature and for a brief second Harry saw light straight through, evidence enough that the curse had literally bored through the creature.

It bounded across the room straight at Harry. This time Swift's Flame Whip missed badly, instead landing across Covington's right leg almost severing the appendage at the knee. Manspark was at Harry's side with his sword raised as he jabbed it at the body of the Hound piercing it soundly.

The momentum wasn't stopped as Harry took the full weight of the Hound. His wand was knocked to the floor as he had gripped each of its forelegs in a futile attempt to keep the claws out of his chest. They both tumbled through the closed door, now a splintered mass in the hallway.

He yelled in pain as the Hound's claws dug into his left shoulder and its middle set of claws set in purchase on either side of his hips. He had barely avoided losing his right arm and he jammed his hand to his sword belt.

"_Sectumsempra_!"

The Hound's mouth opened wide and screeched directly into Harry's face covering his shield with blue mucus. Lancing pain pierced his ears and then a pop took away his hearing. Everything went to silence in an instant for him as he retrieved his weapon and screamed back at the Hound. "_ATHIBAR_!"

As it appeared, the Spear of Destiny drove itself through the midsection of the Hound up and through the head in half of a second. White fire exploded from the top of the creature's head blowing blue blood and bits of flesh around the walls and ceiling.

Padma sent a Bludgeoning Hex at the Hound knocking it to the side and against the wall as Harry rolled in the opposite direction. He winced at the searing pain in his shoulder but scrambled to his feet using the nearest wall. Harry reached across his body and pulled Claiomh Solais from its sheath. The blade lit up the already bright hallway to a near blinding level. He swiped his gloved hand at the blue Hound spit on his face shield to clear his vision a bit.

"_Incarsarous_!" Padma yelled, shooting magical ropes at the flailing body of the Hound.

Harry lifted the sword above his head and yelled. "Call the spear, Padma!"

He swung the sword in a downward arc and saw the spear disappear as the sword sliced through the creature's neck. Before anyone moved Harry had pulled back and drove it down again and again cleaving preternatural bone and flesh a dozen times before slowing.

Harry felt someone grab his sword arm and he spun to break away with rage in his eyes. Padma jumped back. Panic filled her face as Harry could tell she was screaming something at him and pointing back to the room.

Before Harry even took one step the dimming Claiomh Solais flared bright again and the head of another Hound emerged from the room. Judging from the bloodied hands of the Hound he concluded that Swift and Covington were already dead. Padma stood beside him hefting the Spear of Destiny in her left hand. He spotted Manspark behind Padma. The Hound looked like it was having second thoughts about attacking. The shining light of Claiomh Solais seemed to keep it at bay.

"Padma, summon my wand," he said a little louder than normal.

He switched the sword to his left hand. Keeping an eye on the new Hound, Harry snatched his wand out of the air as it flew toward Padma. He saw his partner step back and a sharp pain in his right ear before he could hear again out of one side.

"Can you hear me now?"

Harry nodded. "Thanks."

Padma's voice was clean and even as she moved the fiery spear closer to him. "Harry, only you have true control with the weapons. It won't work its best with me. Put up your wand and take the spear."

Harry wanted to curse her. "Crap," he spat.

The Hound looked seriously pissed off at the bright flames and stood its ground in front of the door growling and dripping blue goo from its mouth. Harry pocketed the wand and took the spear. That's when he heard the lift bell ring. The door opened and there stood Hannah and Su Li carrying several bagged lunches which they dropped at sight of the creature's ass end.

They drew their wands and when the Hound turned to see the new arrivals Harry let loose with the spear. "_Ibur_!" With the utterance of the targeting word the Spear of Destiny flew true.

The keening yell burned through the hallway and Harry charged, but before he moved three steps a third Hound bounded out of the door and tore into the wall with its claws, and then a fourth.

"Get out of here!" Harry yelled at Hannah and Su.

Su punched at the buttons of the lift and the door closed as Harry whipped out his wand again. Padma hit the Hound that was heading for the girls with a Rendering Curse to gain its attention. It barely slowed and tore at the lift doors. The metal screeched but didn't give way until the lift had started up.

"_Fiendfyre_!"

Living fire tore down the hallway engulfing the creatures. Harry thought his newly healed ear was going to split again from the screams of three Hounds fill the air with their pain. He ran up to skewer the closest Hound but the way it was bouncing around made the effort problematical. The walls shook and caved as, what had to be at least three-hundred pounds of muscled flesh slammed against them time and again. He swung anyway and managed to clip its torso.

Two cracks sounded behind Harry and Padma. He chanced a quick glance back and saw Hannah and Su.

"There's one in the lift!" Hannah yelled above the screeching.

Harry waved the sword back. "Screw this. Everyone back up and cover me."

The girls took several steps back and raised their wands.

"_Accio_ Hound!"

Padma's eyes went wide as she watched the closest creature fly through the air toward Harry. He ducked and swung the sword in a precise arc toward the middle of the Hound. The blade cleaved clean through cutting the Hound in two. The Fiendfyre started to go uncontrolled without Harry's direct attention; it was burning its way through the walls that were damaged by the Hound's inability to stand still while they were being eaten alive by the cursed flame.

"Anyone want to help out here?"

Su Li took control of the flame and wound it around the two remaining creatures. The Hounds looked like they were trying to gain to their feet and scamper off but Harry once again summoned one of them and cleaved it in two and then the other followed close behind.

Hannah screamed and Harry spun around. Gray-blue smoke filled the entire end of the hall and running out of the smoke were more Hounds than Harry really wanted to face at the moment. "MOVE!"

Everyone flattened themselves against the wall as Harry dropped to the floor flinging his wand out. "_LACERATE_!"

The constant blue light lanced out of his wand again and he waved it in two strokes about a foot from the floor. Three of the Hounds dropped to their faces as their legs were cut out from under them, but the remaining two had jumped to the walls. Their claws found purchase in the wood and sheetrock enough to let them move at a slower pace but not slow enough for Harry's taste.

"_Sectumsempra_!"

"_Separatus_!"

"_Fiendfyre_!"

Hannah, Padma, and Harry each incanted their curses at the same time effectively dropping the remaining hounds. Harry rushed them before they had a chance to start their bouncing reaction to the cursed flame and cleaved them each in two with Claiomh Solais.

The bright glow of the blade lessened dramatically to a warm pulsing light as he went to work on the bodies of the Hounds, easily chopping them into smaller pieces. Hannah joined in hitting the legs with Joint Cutting Curses. Padma looked around in panic.

"Hey," Harry laughed. "I think we're getting better at this!" He kicked at one of the Hound's head. "Not so tough anymore are you?"

"Where's the Spear?"

Harry ignored her question and headed closer to the door were they held Command Central. Holding the sword out in front of him to act as an indicator for additional Hounds, he relaxed as the shining sword all but resumed its original bronze coloring. Edging his head around the doorframe he registered the disposition of Covington and Swift: both horribly dead.

He pocketed his wand and held his hand out. "_Athibar_!" Nothing happened and he repeated the return phrase. "Crap, Fiendfyre must have taken it out."

Manspark stepped beside him and took in the carnage of Command Central and his long time friend. "Bollocks," he said in an even tone.

"Hannah, Su," Harry said as he turned around. "Get back to the Ministry and get a clean up crew in here. We need about a hundred containers for these things. I don't want to find out that they can regenerate and come back to bite my ass in my sleep. Chop them up into little pieces and find several construction sites. Drop half of them in the foundations and the other half in the Atlantic… somewhere deep."

With an additional thought he held up his hand to stop them from Apparating out. "You've been seen by the Hounds. It probably means you are marked now. Do not, under any circumstances, go anywhere, alone."

He turned to Manspark. "Come on. Let's go to my room and figure this thing out." Taking off his face shield he dropped it to the floor and added his gloves and blue bloodied shirt.

Oo

"They seem to be better organized than I initially thought," Padma noted.

Harry nodded after he pulled a fresh shirt over his head. "My thoughts exactly." He crossed to the minibar and withdrew a couple of bottles of water holding them up to Manspark and Padma. At their acknowledgement he handed them over and then took a quick drink from his own. "If the Hounds knew enough to send backup then they are either more sentient that they should be or someone else is pulling their strings."

Manspark screwed the top back on his bottle and set it aside. "Appearances aside, the creatures have displayed no more intelligence than the basic animalistic desire to hunt and kill using the abilities they possess."

"So, we're thinking someone has it in for the Order," offered Padma.

Harry leaned against the wall in thought. "We can't make that assumption. There could be a number of reasons the Hounds return." He shrugged. "I'm more in the camp of someone back in 1795 did something to attract their attention or the attention of someone that can control the beasts."

"Who could have that kind of power?" asked Manspark.

Padma leaned forward in her chair. "The Old Ones, the Elder Gods, some of their servants could be suspect."

Concern crossed Manspark's face. "I thought you said that they were banished."

Padma nodded. "They were, but I'm not leaving anything to chance. They can't physically cross over to our plane. However, that doesn't mean that they can't communicate with their spawn or other dark creatures."

Harry nodded. "That's what I was thinking." He set his water down and stood up straighter. "Sir Rupert, are there any surviving records of the Order in 1795?"

"Few, I am aware of mostly genealogical and the like." As a second thought he added, "The diary of the Friar I mentioned previously would be the closest unofficial accounting that I am aware."

Cracks of Apparition sounded in the hallway and Harry stuck his head out to see several people setting down numerous metal boxes. He saw Hannah notice him and nodded in her direction. Her coloring was turning decidedly green at the creatures and Harry smirked. Sometimes Aurors had to deal with the aftermath of a gruesome scene. It was part of the job.

"Cleanup crew is here," he said as he returned to the conversation. "Can we get a hold of that diary, Sir Rupert?"

The Genealogist abruptly stood. "It is in the safe in the Order's office upstairs."

Taking another look down the hall at the mangled doors of the lift Harry sighed. "We'll leave after the cleanup crew leaves."

oO

Nearly an hour later the final repairs were being performed on the lift doors. Hannah appeared at the door to Harry's room. "They're almost done. The pieces are being transported to the appropriate disposal sites."

"Good." The apprehensive look on Hannah's face prompted Harry to make an offer. "Do you and Su want to stay with us for the evening?"

Immediate relief showed on her face. "Thanks."

Harry shrugged. "Strength in numbers, I suppose. Plus there's the whole foursome thing that I've wanted to try." He turned back to the elder knight. "Sorry Manspark, you'll have to find your own harem."

Hannah smacked him on the shoulder. "Keep trying, Harry, someday you might get that fantasy fulfilled."

He turned back to her and smiled hopefully. "Really?"

Hannah's smile dropped. "No, not really." Then she turned and ran back to inform Su of the news.

"Damn," he said in rejection.

Su's raised voice came from down the hall. "Lift's not working!"

Harry stepped out and then down the hallway watching as the lights above were flickering. Padma and Manspark followed. "It should be okay in a couple of hours. A lot of magic was tossed around. Screws with the electricity."

He stopped and waved his fellow Aurors to him. "We'll Apparate to the office and check out some possible evidence Sir Rupert has hidden away. You know where it is?"

At the shakes of their heads Harry sighed. "Fine, then how about where the lift lets out up top?"

They both nodded and Harry gave them the fish-eye. "Sure you're not interested in that foursome?"

They both nodded again.

"Damn." He looked left and then right. "One, two, three, four … where's Padma?" He looked down the hall and saw her tracing her wand over the surface of his door. "Those pesky kids, always running off." He started back down the hall. "Hey, Padma, we're leaving now and you're setting fire to my door. Don't you know girls that play with fire are more likely to pee in the bed?"

She encircled the flames she was working on and they faded before Harry had a chance to see what she was written. "I'm casting protection runes. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll work against the Hounds. I'd really like to get a good night's sleep tonight."

Doubt came over his face. "I thought you said they wouldn't work on them."

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I also said if they were being controlled by one of the Old Ones or Elder Gods then I'd be able to do something." She waved her hand at the door. "Well, this is me doing something. If we get attacked tonight then we'll know that it isn't them."

He eyed the door. "Well I'll tell you what; if they knock at the door I just won't let them in.

Her eyes narrowed. "The sign seals the entire suite against the Old Ones and their minions."

"Oh, well in that case… cool."

She preened for a second and stepped around Harry and down the hall to others. After grabbing a hold of Manspark's arm they Disapparated.

"Meet you guys upstairs."

Oo

Padma sat down with the diary at the conference table since she was the only one that actually understood Latin, or Italian, or in whatever the thing was written. They had dinner brought in because the sack dinners that Hannah and Su went for had blue drool all over.

"Who would have thought that the Hounds of Tindalos preferred take-away," said Harry thoughtfully. "Maybe we can just order out for like fifteen Royal's with cheese for our next encounter?"

Manspark actually gave a small snort at that or it could have good timing with allergies; Harry couldn't tell.

Padma looked up over her drink that she was sipping. "I've got nothing," she said with disappointment. "He just mentions a great evil killing off the officers and then performing the cleansing ritual. That's it."

Harry leaned back in his chair and propped his boots on the very expensive looking conference table. "Well shit." He thought it over for a moment and shrugged his shoulders in frustration. He ran his hands over his face and then through his hair. "I guess the next time one of the Hounds appears I could jump on top and ride the bitch back to wherever it came from."

Padma shook her head. "Let's call that Plan B."


	7. Aww What the Hell

Harry Potter

Chapter Seven

Aww, What the Hell

There flapped rhythmically a horde of tame, trained, hybrid winged things... not altogether crows, nor moles, nor buzzards, nor ants, nor decomposed human

beings, but something I cannot and must not recall. – H.P. Lovecraft.

_"He Is Not To Be Named," a faceless voice echoed in the black. _

_The air was cold and dank. Involuntary chills ran through Harry's body as he walked through the nothingness; the only sound coming from his footfalls echoing in the dark. He spun around every now and again knowing he was being watched, observed, weighed, and measured. Pulling his robes tightly around him he knew beyond a doubt that it wasn't the temperature that was freezing through his skin, bone-deep; it was the unmitigated evil that had yet to face. _

_The smell of dead flesh, bloating by the sea wafted past. It was a scent he was familiar with as some people rid the evidence of their crime into the Thames thinking that creatures of the sea would eventually eat away the body, making his job that much harder. _

_He pulled out his wand and incanted the Light Charm to utter failure. Harry felt his magic, knew it was working, sensed the ever-small vibration of his wand. He knew the Light Charm was active, but he could see nothing, not even the hand in front of his face._

_Another sound deep in the dark, somewhere above made him involuntarily look up. He knew his attempts were fruitless, but it gave him a way to focus his hearing, trying desperately to identify whatever creature he was to fated to do battle. Slow swooping sounds circled above. Whatever flying creature sought him as its prey was joined by a second and then a third until he couldn't tell how many there were in the absent sky above. _

_"Okay, to hell with this," Harry spat as he raised his wand and tried his best to aim. "Concustos!"_

_He spun around and yelled up at the sky. "You wanna piece of me! Let's go! Concustos!"_

_Sweat ran down his face even though he felt like he was freezing to death. His breathing increased and Harry felt his heart racing from the adrenaline being poured into his bloodstream. "Dammit! Stupefy! Lacerate! Sectumsempra! Reducto!"_

_He gnashed his teeth together and knew he was on the edge of panic. Nothing worked against this nameless and faceless foe. Fear was edging its web over his mind, and he knew that if he were to succumb then he would surely die or go insane. Instead, Harry consciously slowed his breathing and tried to clear his mind. The process was difficult with the constant WHOOMP WHOOMP WHOOMP sounding above, but clear his mind he did. _

_He took in a breath of the foul air that surrounded him and brought forth the feeling he had when he, in the company of Ron and Hermione, blew out the top of Gringotts as they rode the stolen dragon into the London Sky. _

_"Expecto Patronum!" _

_His silvery stag burst forth from his wand and he could see! Charging into a flock of insectoid-bat like creatures the Patronus scattered them for a moment, but they were not afraid. Instead, the creatures looked angry. The wingspan stretched ten to twelve feet and the creature's body bore little resemblance to anything he had ever seen before. It was insect-like, perhaps ant-like. They turned their elongated heads and opened their fang-filled mouths to screech angrily at him for disturbing their hunt. Then they dove. _

_"Oh crap."_

_Harry knew running was a fruitless endeavor so he stood his ground and held his wand high. _

Oo

Harry's eye's shot open and he almost screamed out in the natural darkness. His hands gripped the arms of the recliner where he remembered he was sleeping the previous evening. He wiped at the sweat beading all along his face and looked around the room. The only light was coming from the bathroom behind the slightly opened door.

"Bad dreams?" Su Li asked from the armchair across the room.

He ignored the question and sat up properly. "Go ahead and get some sleep." He ran his hands across his pants trying in vain to rid himself of his clammy palms. "I think I'll be up for the rest of my life."

She stood and slipped off her robes, laying them across the chair as she kicked off her shoes. Dressed only in a yellow tank top with matching shorts she went over and climbed into bed next to Hannah and Padma.

Harry glanced over at Manspark to see the elderly knight staring at him with muted sympathy before closing his eyes.

Morning came without preamble and they had gathered around the conference table as breakfast was provided by the palace kitchens. Conversation was light and inconsequential considering the excitement and horror of the previous day. Harry finished his eggs and bacon before leaning back to sip the last dregs of his now lukewarm tea.

"I think Voldemort may be back."

Su Li fumbled her juice and Hannah nearly choked on a bite of egg. Padma paused in mid bite with a stunned look on her face. "How can that be? I thought…"

Without letting her finish her question Harry continued. "Did any of you know about my dreams?"

Manspark leaned forward. "Is this the same Voldemort that you have killed twice already?"

Harry nodded somberly. He looked up at the girls and saw their interest in his mentioning his dreams. "I used to have nightmares – visions, of what he was doing. We had a connection because a seventh of his soul was trapped in me." He could see the distaste on their faces but persevered. "I had another vision last night. It was dark and cold … evil is the only way I know how to describe where I was. I was surrounded by it."

"Merlin," whispered Hannah.

"None of my magic could penetrate the dark. Something was flying around above." He paused and took a calming breath. "I was finally able to cast my Patronus with normal effect. It lit up the area and I saw these bat things. They were as big as a man, maybe bigger; fangs, claws. It had the whole monster thing down pretty good."

Padma instantly became enthralled. "What else, Harry?"

He shrugged. "They attacked and I woke up."

Confusion covered Padma's face. "Then why do you think it was Voldemort?"

He set his cup down and looked her in the eye. "At the beginning there was a voice that said one thing: 'He is not to be named.'"

Her eyes widened and she fell back into her chair looking off into nothing. Harry closed his eyes and rubbed the sleep away that he had never seemed to be able to rid himself of since the adventure started. He breathed slow and even to keep himself cool and collected in front of everyone.

The silence was broken moments later. "It's not Voldemort."

Harry looked up hopefully and saw the expression on her face. It wasn't very comforting.

"It's so much worse," she added. She jumped up and raced out of the room. Harry was quick on her heels.

He raised his voice as he reached the doorway. "Padma, wait."

She slowed abruptly and turned, heading back to the office. She almost pushed Harry out of the way. "Sir Rupert, I need to know where every entrance and exit to the palace is."

The elderly knight gripped the arms to his chair and stood. "Why?"

Padma was on the edge of panic. "If I'm right then everyone in the Palace is in danger. I have to cast protection runes on every entrance and exit or the creatures that Harry described will have access as sure as if we held the door open for them."

Manspark crossed to his desk and picked up his phone. After dialing three digits he waited for a second and then in a very authoritative voice gave orders to the person on the other end. "I need the Commander of the Watch in my office now. Time is of the essence."

Harry leaned against the door jamb and crossed his arms. "And if you have time, Padma, you can enlighten us as to whom the bogeyman is?"

She shook her head. "I can't say its name. To do so would set his eye upon us."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I think I've been through this scenario before. Do we have to go through the whole _fear of a name_ speech again?"

Her hands clinched into fists and then released. "You don't understand, Harry. Its eye _will really_ be upon us." She looked from side to side. "It's also known as the King in Yellow, or The Unspeakable."

Behind her Su Li gasped and covered her mouth. Harry noted the fear in Su's eyes and the panic in Padma's body language. "Fine, I'll go with the King in Yellow, at least it's some kind of title. So what does this King do?"

Padma laughed but almost cried at the same time. "What _can't_ it do would be a better question."

Sounds of booted feet rushed down the hall and Harry stuck his head out to see four middle-aged armed military types rushing his way. He stood to the side and let Manspark deal with them.

"I want you to show Ms. Patil every conceivable way in and out of the Palace immediately," he ordered the Commander as he crossed the room when he saw the reluctant look on the man's face. "The Queen's life is in danger as well as every person in the Palace."

The Commander looked around at the people in the office and then left the room. He stood in the hallway out of Harry's earshot talking on a small handheld radio.

"Look's like he's getting the okay from his boss, whoever that is," noted Harry.

Manspark nodded. "I don't have the power to reveal all of the Palace's secrets, and you Ms. Patil will be forced to sign a security document before they will show you anything other than what is commonly known."

"Fine," she replied. "Tell them to catch me up then. I'll do the ones I already know first." She turned to head out when she grasped Harry's shirt. "I could use some help and I'm going to go ahead and ask that we wait for explanations until after we've secured the Palace."

Reluctantly Harry nodded. "Fine."

They rushed down the stairwell at the end of the hall and then to the back entrance where Padma sealed the door. She lifted her wand up about head high and started making cock-eyed L-shapes.

"What's the rune?" Harry asked.

Padma frowned. "It's not any rune that has been taught at Hogwarts. It's a protection sigil that will keep any minion from The Unspeakable at bay. They won't be able to pass any door that bares the sigil."

Harry watched as she finished and circled the rune. "Haven't I seen that somewhere before?"

The rune faded from view and she turned to face him. "No time, Harry. Did you pay attention to how it was cast?"

Harry placed his hands on his hips and gave her a grudging look. "Yes."

"It has to be performed exactly like I've shown, Harry, Are you sure?"

"I said yes." His eyes narrowed. "I'm on the verge of being pissed off, Padma. Don't push me."

A hurt look dropped over her face, but then it turned resolute. "Every door and window must be secured with that rune. If we miss even one then we will surely be dead come nightfall."

Harry looked up at the building in front of him and the dozens of windows. "Great." An idea came to mind. "Why don't we get Su and Hannah to help?"

She shook her head. "I can't go into the reasons why, Harry. Just do this and I will explain everything afterward."

oO

They spent the better part of three hours meticulously going over every window, door, air vent and chimney before calling it quits for lunch. Padma avoided Harry's questioning and suspicious gaze over their light meal and then excused herself to his quarters where she promised to meet him afterward.

Harry Apparated outside his quarters to alert her he was there before opening the door and entering. He looked around and his feet led him to the bedroom where Padma sat on the edge of the bed with her head hung. Without any fanfare Harry shrugged his coat off and laid it over an empty armchair.

"That's not an ordinary tattoo at the small of your back is it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No."

He still couldn't see her face so he closed in on her slowly. "Care to enlighten me?"

She took a cleansing breath and began. "My family … we never worshipped the traditional Indian gods."

Harry turned and stepped back to a second armchair to make himself comfortable.

"They've been part of a following for almost two thousand years; a tradition handed down through the bloodline."

"You mean a cult?" asked Harry with a somewhat disingenuous attitude.

She looked up in annoyance. "Some, less enlightened people might call it that, yes."

He waved his hand. "So you are in a cult. Tell me about it."

Her face went stern. "If I explain further I can pretty much guarantee my death at their hands."

Harry didn't look concerned at all. "And if you don't spill then I'll wait until dark and boot your ass out the back door."

She weighed his words and the truth she heard expressed through them. "We don't do anyone any harm, Harry. In fact it is the exact opposite."

He sat forward in his chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Tell me about this King in Yellow."

He saw her relief displayed on her face and went into what she knew. "It is a Great Old One. You've heard of Cthulhu?" He remembered his Dark Creatures classes at the Auror Academy and one of the strongest and more moody Great Old Ones. Cthulhu had a large and mostly insane following that originally went insane from just seeing the twenty story tall octopus like monster. It was the only way to describe the thing and keep one's sanity intact. The truth was almost always worse than the tales. At his nod she continued. "It's his half-brother."

Harry's head shook in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"The creatures you saw in your vision – they are the Byakhee – they are the harbingers of The Unspeakable. To see them, to battle them, is to bring The Unspeakable's attention directly upon you. If you defeat them in battle he will come for you personally."

While he had no doubt about the truthfulness of her statement there was one thing that he already knew. "They were banished, Padma. The monsters can't break through the plainial barriers. If they could then they would be here already destroying everything in their path. You already know this."

She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "And yet the Hounds of Tindalos just popped up in droves yesterday, didn't they?"

Harry couldn't deny that little tidbit. But he pushed it aside. "I'm not buying it, Padma. If what we've read already is true then the Hounds were already here on Earth. They were just in a different time, literally. And there's no way you are going to convince me that some two-hundred foot monster from another plane that drives men insane with no more than a mere look is actually behind this."

Padma growled in frustration. "When the Byakhee appear tonight, Harry, then you'll believe."

He leaned back. "You're actually trying to scare me with a plane traveling creature that is named after some Japanese wanking porn?"

"What?" Padma said incredulously.

Harry held up his hand. "Never mind. Tell me about the lopsided star I've been painting the windows with."

He watched her frustration as he jumped from subject to subject. "The Elder Sign; it is symbolic of my family. It is a protection sigil against any creature or entity sent by the Old Ones."

Pondering that bit of information for a moment Harry asked, "And this Elder Sign wouldn't have anything to do with, oh, I don't know, maybe the Elder Gods?"

"I …" stammered Padma. "I …"

Harry stood and advanced on her. "Are these the same Elder Gods that were almost as bad as the Old Ones that tried to kill everyone on Earth?"

She shook her head. "No, not kill," she said defensively.

"Oh." His hands spread wide and he gave her a great big smile. "Sorry, I meant enslave. Pardon me."

"Not all of the Elder Gods wanted this, Harry."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Please excuse my lack of caring, Padma. Three Auror's are dead and a number of Muggles, not to mention me, you, Hannah, Su, and our favorite constipated knight are all on the menu."

She pushed herself off of the bed and met him nearly eye to eye. "What do you want me to do, Harry? Do you want me to admit that I called the Hounds? Maybe that I've been alive since the 1700's being a bad girl through the ages? It's not going to happen because my family has been doing everything in their power to make sure nothing like this ever happens."

He turned away and walked a few paces. "Spill, Padma, or I swear I will take you in and lock you up until you do." He spun back around and narrowed his eyes. "Maybe Parvati would be more pliable."

Padma laughed. "Oh, she's pliable and has also memorized every page of the Kama Sutra. You'll have quite a good time, Harry. However you wouldn't learn anything of any use."

After thinking quick thoughts about certain pages of the Kama Sutra along with a willing Parvati he shook his head. "I thought you said that this was a family thing?"

She crossed her arms and looked somewhat smug. "In my family it was passed from father to daughter, me, not Parvati." She eyed him with doubt. "Can you honestly say that Parvati has the discipline to …"

Harry waved her off. "Never mind."

Her features softened. "Each of us is sworn to secrecy. It is somewhat like an Unbreakable Vow." She reached around and touched the tattoo through her blouse. "I made my vow when I came of age, the night I received the mark. Harry, please understand that unless you were to join my family or another of the tradition then you cannot know what we know."

Harry backed away and held his hands up. "Whoop, hold it right there. This wizard's got a lot of free years ahead of him. Not gonna happen."

Confused, Padma paused for a second and then rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Harry. I'm _so_ glad the thought of you being married to me is so appealing."

He gave her a Gaelic shrug.

Strengthening her resolve she gave him one final comment about the subject. "You didn't seem to mind the benefits the other night when my mouth was wrapped around your…"

"Gah!" He jumped back far enough to bounce off the wall.

"What?"

"Don't talk about it!" he almost pleaded.

Padma eyed him like he was crazy. "What on earth are you …" She stopped for a second and then a delightful smile graced her face. "Harry, you aren't embarrassed about …" Then she laughed – and laughed – and laughed. She fell backward onto the bed grabbing her side with one hand and tried to cover her mouth with the other.

Disgruntled, Harry crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Her body shook with giggles which eventually died down to a bight smile as she pulled herself back up into a sitting position. "Why, on earth, would you be embarrassed?"

Harry looked to the side to avoid her gaze. "I'm an Englishman, Padma. Sex is supposed to be performed with the doors and windows closed, in the dark, and never ever talked about in company unless it's done so in jest or to bolster one's ego."

"Hmph," Padma remarked. "It wasn't so dark the other night."

He turned his attention back to her. "Special circumstances – Hounds."

"Ridiculous, there is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about what we shared." Padma crossed her legs and Harry watched as her shoe dangled slightly off of her heel. "I needed comfort after experiencing that blue goo, and you … well you were male. And I must say you have quite the talented tongue."

Harry cringed slightly at Padma once more breeching the Englishman's credo, but he also felt a little pride in her statement.

"Are you saying you'd have rather not seen me?"

A slight panicked look dropped onto his face at Padma asking one of those impossible to answer questions. He fought the urge to go back on what he just told her about the credo, but he most assuredly loved being able to see every inch of her dark smooth skin.

Her hand moved slowly up to her top button. With a flick of her fingers it was released. "So if, for instance, I were to strip all of my clothes off right here in front of you and maybe dance for you a little, you'd want me to have the lights turned off?"

Harry's mouth went dry as he watched her flick the second button open and exposed just a hint of the cleavage he became more than familiar with two nights previous. He swallowed and then dropped his hands to his sides. Moving slowly but with determination he was drawn to stand in front of her.

Padma released another button and spread her blouse apart showing the black lace of her bra lifting her breasts up and together. It was all Harry could do to cup her face and lean in to brush his lips against hers without flinging her back on the bed. He pressed his lips harder and felt her open in acceptance. With just a taste of her tongue he broke away and trailed his lips along her angular jaw to her neck where he lightly bit down.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt him move higher and take her earlobe between his teeth, teasing her.

"Padma," he whispered with far too much breath in his voice.

"Uh huh," she responded in equal measure.

"I'm not that easy."

Before he was able to pull away she growled and pushed him back. Harry's smirk was back once he knew he was in control of the situation.

"Now tell me about the Bukkake."

Twisting each button on her blouse through their corresponding eye she radiated red from the combination frustration and embarrassment. "It's Byakhee, not some stupid adolescent fantasy of yours."

Harry nodded in acceptance. "Whatever gets you to open your mouth … sorry, bad choice of words," he said in amusement. "I meant shoot away … damn, sorry again. Man, _am I_ embarrassed."

Padma leveled her gaze, and her voice was tight and even. "I hate you."

He seemed quite all right about her feelings. "It's okay, all the cool people do."


	8. The King in Yellow

Harry Potter

Chapter Eight

The King in Yellow

Plans were at the final stages of being carried out for the evacuation of the Palace of all nonessential personnel. By three o'clock, the hustle and bustle of everyday life ground to a halt. Armed security guards were stationed at every juncture throughout the Palace. From what Padma told Harry, the Byakhee were supposed to be made of mortal flesh and would die from a bullet just as well as a killing curse. Bullets might be, perhaps, messier, but the overall outcome would be the same.

Harry walked thorough the halls glancing at the priceless paintings that had been recessed into the wall and protected by bullet-resistant glass. Some of the more irreplaceable treasures were hastily stored away. But only those in the State Ballroom were cleared entirely for that was where they would make their stand, if needed.

He contemplated bringing in more Aurors. If the nightmare or vision was anything to go by Harry knew that they would be in for a strong fight. But considering Padma's information he was confident that the Palace guards would even out the odds well enough.

Taking out the bottomless caldron, Harry stretched it arms-length apart and conjured enough water to fill it three-quarters the way full.

"Better safe than sorry," he said to himself before looking up at the Grand Staircase on the North wall.

Padma stood at the top step looking down at him.

"Well, she's still pissed," he whispered.

Her body was ridged and the frown that was on her face, before they left his room, had not been replaced as of yet. On a whim, he stuck his tongue out at her. Her eyes narrowed in response. That's when she descended the staircase and he was rewarded with a view of her new outfit.

"Tinkerbelle's tampon," he cursed to himself quietly.

Padma gave up her stately office-wear for something a bit more functional. He watched her slink down the Grand Staircase in a skintight black jumpsuit of some kind. Heavy boots were laced up to her knees with thick heels pumping up her height by at least two additional inches, making her legs sleek out, smoothing the muscles he remembered seeing in the room where he was anointed. Her cloak was pushed behind her shoulders making it appear as if it were a cape instead of its more functional daily use.

"You know, trying to do battle with a raging hard-on isn't as easy as it looks," Harry said.

She returned a very satisfied smirk.

His eyes dropped to her waist and the numerous pockets that ran behind and out of sight. "Did I tell you how much I loved Batgirl when I was a kid?"

Padma's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What's a Bat-Girl?"

Harry's smile widened and his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Keep that outfit around after we end this thing and I'll show you."

She rolled her eyes and looked at the large cauldron in the middle of the room. "What's that for?"

He shrugged. "Just a little back up in case things get out of hand." Before she could inquire further Harry gazed up at the ceiling. "It's about time to lay the repelling charms; you ready?"

With a nod they headed toward the lift. Harry punched the call button and then leaned on the wall to get a few more looks at Padma's outfit.

"You know," she said with mild annoyance. "If you keep staring I'm going to have to charge you."

He held up his hands in a gesture of harmlessness. "Hey, I'm not the one who went all Emma Peel." He tilted his head a little and gazed at her hips. "I think you might need a bigger belt buckle though."

The lift arrived and the doors opened depositing the head of security in front of them. "Ah, Sir Harry, I'm glad I ran into you." He held up a medium sized box and opened the top. "I have some communicators for you and your people."

Harry eyed the headset as the Security Chief handed one over. "Once the magic starts flying, these will be useless."

The Chief nodded. "This is an older model we've adapted with a shielded polymer coating that will hopefully extend the life. They've been tested in areas of high magical concentration and last a bit longer. The signal strength isn't as strong as we'd like, but it's better than nothing at all."

Harry slipped the receiver arm around his ear and adjusted the fit while he moved the transmitting stem along the curve of his jaw. The Chief held out one to Padma and used an additional one as an example. "There are four toggles here and here. The first is a mute, the second is an active, third is a separate channel dedicated to your team, and the fourth for everyone on a separate frequency. Once active they will stay on until returned for charging. A full charge should last about forty-eight hours."

"Thank you," Padma said as she fitted her own headset to her ear. "This should come in handy."

They boarded the lift. Harry winked and gave her a suggestive nod. "So do I look all secret agent man?" At her lack of response he tried a different tact. "If you would have been straight with me from the start I wouldn't have been so pissed."

Padma's lips pursed in mild annoyance. "We had our suspicions about what was going on, Harry, but that's all they were, suspicions." Crossing her arms she turned and looked him in the eye. "My family's secret has been held for almost two thousand years, and without any proof whatsoever I'm supposed to just lay it all out there for you?"

Harry sighed slightly. "I think I've proven more than a few times that I can keep a secret, Padma."

An amused smirk came over her face. "Then how do I know that you are the Master of Death?"

Harry's eyes almost bugged and his jaw went slack. "I … how…"

"It's easy if you put the pieces together," she said with confidence in her voice as she turned back to face the doors of the lift. "Everyone knows that you possess the Elder Wand from your defeat of Voldemort. And it's almost common knowledge that you posses an Invisibility Cloak that was passed down from your father." She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "It took very little research to find out that the very same cloak had been passed down two generations before that."

Instead of denying the fact, Harry crossed his arms and tried to empty his face of emotion.

"Magical cloaks, even well made, do not last that long, Harry. They get damaged, worn, the enchantment wears off."

A chime announced their arrival to the upper most floor and the doors opened.

"I admit that the stone was the most difficult to figure out, and I still wasn't sure until you confirmed it just a minute ago with that wonderful secret-keeping face. But you have it, I'm sure."

They made their way down the hall and approached a duo of guards attending the roof access. After confirming their identification they were ushered through and shown the final door where Padma stopped.

"My family is very well connected, Harry. I can tell you a few things, generalities mostly. But like I said before…"

Harry nodded in annoyance. "I need to have the tramp-stamp from hell to know more."

Padma shook her head in disappointment. "We are a dedicated people, Harry. There is nothing more important than securing the Planar Gates and insuring that no Old One or Elder God return to play havoc on the Earth again … nothing." She sighed. "My life, my father's life, even yours is not worth one of their kind's return."

Harry grabbed her arm as she turned to walk out into the bright sunny day. "I disagree."

A smile softened her features and her eyes lost their competitiveness. "I know, Harry. You care too much. It's always been your biggest problem."

oO

With the Muggle Repelling Charms and Notice-me-not Charms applied to Buckingham Palace they returned to Manspark's office to find him and another three elderly gentlemen in attendance.

"I thought all civilians had been escorted out?" was Harry's greeting as he strode into the office.

Manspark rose from his seat followed by each of the gentlemen in turn. "Sir Harry, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the remaining officers of the Order: the Registrar and Secretary, Sir William Remington, the King of Arms, Sir Alistair St. Brandenburg, and lastly the Dean, Sir Warrington Yates." Each of the gentlemen nodded in turn. "I thought it better if we were all gathered together, for better or worse."

Harry understood, but still felt it unwise to allow the monsters easy access to the remainder of their prey. He eyed each of them in turn. Noticing the pistols that were hanging from each of their belts he cocked an eyebrow.

Manspark cut him off before Harry could comment. "Each of us is retired military, Sir Harry. We know how to handle our weapons."

Harry shook his head. "I was thinking of something a little bigger, maybe of the shotgun variety." He looked at his watch. "We've got a couple of hours until sunset. Make sure they're loaded up and secure. I don't want them in the middle of things if we are breached."

Apparently Manspark had briefed them as to Harry's abrasive attitude for they looked equally constipated but held their opinions to themselves. Harry looked suitably impressed and somewhat amused but carried on with the day's business.

"The Palace has been charmed to keep wandering eyes away so nobody should notice anything is wrong."

The man he remembered named Yates, the Dean, clasped his hands together behind his back. "Do you really think that the Palace will be breached? Are there so many of them that we will be in significant danger?"

Harry glanced at him and then at Manspark who took his cue.

"I've learned in the last two days that if Sir Harry is this cautious then the situation is dire, Warrington."

"See you in the Ballroom in thirty, Sir Rupert. I'll walk all of you through the situation." Harry turned around and headed out.

Oo

On the way back down the Ballroom Harry paused for a moment at one of the windows and gazed out to the street in front the palace. He became increasingly unsettled as his eyes tracked from the right of the fenced-in grounds to the left. Once he overtook the Victoria Memorial at the center, outside the gates, he saw a figure facing the Palace.

His brows furrowed as he knew that Muggles shouldn't be able to stare in his direction, instead they should remember a forgotten appointment or be distracted by something other than what they were trying to stare at. The first thought that came into his head after seeing the figure standing there was the image of bloated maggots; maggots lying in a pile of rotted meat festering in the noonday sun. The image triggered a sensory memory and the smell of the rotted meat made his stomach churn.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment to quell the sudden nausea, and when he reopened them he sharpened his vision and concentration on the figure across the street. The clothes the figure wore spoke of a street dweller, a vagrant, a bum. They looked old and unwashed, hanging from the figure's body.

Dread crept over his consciousness and it sent a cold shiver down his spine.

"Harry," said Padma mere inches from his ear.

"Gah!" he yelped and jumped back.

Padma's were shining with glee and a quick burst of laughter escaped her lips. "Bit jumpy?"

Harry gave her a dirty look and turned back to the window and the mysterious stranger. To his annoyance the figure still stood sentinel.

"Recognize him?"

Padma stepped up beside him and tried to find who Harry was speaking of.

"To the left of the memorial on the other side…"

"Oh … eww." She looked away and gagged in reflex.

"Friend of yours?"

It looked like all of her attention was focused on not losing her lunch in front of Harry. He glanced back to the figure and could almost swear that he or it was looking directly at him.

"I'm going to check this out." Harry said as he saw Padma's normally dark skin had paled noticeably.

He quickly checked around and Apparated just outside the gates behind the Victoria Memorial to cover his sudden appearance. When he rounded the Memorial he caught sight of the figure which he could now tell was either male or Deloras Umbridge's better looking sister had made an appearance.

Harry checked for traffic and crossed the road noticing that the man was watching him at the same time. The nausea had returned along with a healthy amount uneasiness and it only increased the closer he moved toward the stranger.

Keeping at least five feet away, mainly because of the smell of rotted meat that the man seemed to radiate, Harry made his move.

"Hey there good lookin'," he cracked.

The man said nothing in return, and if Harry didn't know any better he'd swear that the guy was ignoring him while staring him straight in the face. His face was barren of any expression, his eyes clouded over and his skin bloated in a dirty grey pallor. The man's tattered coat hung down almost touching the ground and looked torn in several places.

"How 'bout I give you a few pounds and you piss off and buy a new coat, yeah?"

Without any warning, nor fanfare, a piece of the man's dirty yellow coat separated from the whole, tearing up the side and lashed out at Harry. It lengthened and whipped out, striking him across the face, cutting him almost thoroughly through the left cheek from ear to mouth. Harry was knocked backward and staggered. His hand snapped up to the injury feeling blood coursing between his fingers and down his neck while his right hand lanced out with his wand.

"_Percucio_!" He tried to yell but was hampered by the injury. "_Diffindo_!"

A clean silver sickle-sized hole was punctured through the man's heart and a large gash to match Harry's injury ripped through the left side of his throat. By the time Harry got his balance he stopped in his tracks.

"Oh hell," he gasped with dread for no blood rose from either wound.

The man stood as before; the only movement was from his coat which was splitting in several other places as before. Harry took two quick steps back to put more distance between them.

"_Sectumsempra_!" He desperately yelled. "_Lacerate_!"

A three foot gash tore through the man from shoulder to hip opening him up and loosed ropes of intestine down his front. Horror welled up to Harry's face at what he was witnessing; maggot filled flesh erupted outward where the Slicing Curse hit.

Several prehensile tendrils lashed out and the short distance Harry had put between them didn't seem to be a factor. One punctured him just under his left collarbone while another sliced through his jacket cutting him liberally across the chest, while still another jabbed straight through his right hip.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!"

He was lifted up into the air with absurd ease and held there as the man walked forward. Two more tentacles drove through the right side of his chest and his left leg. Unbelievable pain tore at Harry as he felt the tentacles moving inside him as they extended themselves even further through his body and out the back. The extra length trailed down and wrapped around his legs.

"Harry Potter," rasped the man with a low gurgling voice. "Hastur comes for you."

The tentacles inverted him in the air when Harry gathered enough energy and suppressed enough of the pain to reply. "Fuck you!"

"_SEPERATUS_!" Padma's voice yelled.

The man's head came cleanly from his shoulders and tumbled to the ground making a sickening hollow sound before it split open littering the ground with a mound of engorged maggots.

The tentacles dropped Harry and he fell, but still kept enough sense about him to tilt his head away and somewhat curl up before he hit the concrete below.

Padma send out a wave of flame encircling the man before he collapsed. Pure hatred showed on her face as the flame intensified and engulfed the body. Two additional cracks of Apparition sounded near Harry, but he was almost too far gone to care.

Su Li appeared in his field of vision looking rather panicked. "Harry!"

His throat constricted and his eyes widened as he realized he wasn't breathing quite right. That was when he convulsed and coughed up a mouthful of blood straight in Su's face.

Hannah's voice sounded behind him. "It punctured his lung! Hurry …"

Blackness took him.

oO

"Mister Potter?"

Harry's eyes cracked open to see a healer standing beside the bed where he was currently laying.

"Ah good, Mister Potter I need you to sit up. I have a nice potion for you," she said with a little more energy than Harry was willing to take at the moment.

"Bugger off," he mumbled as he turned to the side.

A bright smile appeared on her face. "I'll make a deal with you. If you drink the potion I'll promptly bugger off, how about that?"

"Mmmph," he replied into his pillow.

"Okay, how about I discharge you today if you take the potion, and if you don't I'll keep you in here another week as I deliver it rectally via a nice large enema?"

He turned his head and glared at the healer. "What is it with women and my ass?"

Turning back he sat up with rather large wince in pain. Lancing pain shot up from his shoulder and hip.

"Still hurt?" she asked with concern.

A sharp nod was all that was returned.

She gave him a sympathetic shrug and held out the bubbling potion. "Drink it all up."

He reluctantly grabbed the potion and took a long pull from the glass. With a look of utter disgust he slammed the glass on the small table hanging over the bed and swallowed. "Ugh, should of have taken the enema; there's no way it could've tasted worse."

She held out her wand and encircled his chest area. "I'll let the Potion's Resident know your opinion. Now lay still while I do my examination."

He raised an eyebrow in wariness. "I though you said you were going to bugger off if I drank that colostomy bag of a potion."

She gave him a quick smile. "I lied." With a pronounced frown she pulled the sheet down and gestured to Harry. "Take off your gown, please."

"It's not a gown," Harry started as he leaned forward and untied the single string that held together what he was wearing. "Gowns are for formal occasions. This is more of a … well, it's like a negligee, a really cheap negligee that you have for unwanted guests." He sighed. "And now that we've established your penchant for wanting to see men in women's knickers, when are we getting to the fun stuff?"

Judging from her total lack of reaction to his charming wit Harry concluded that the healer was more than used to unruly patients.

"Your wounds are healed but there will be a bit of scarring," she informed him as she traced each area with her wand. "You can try applying dittany morning and night for the next week, but I don't know if it will do any good."

She looked up at his left cheek and turned his head with a single finger so as to get a better look. Her frown reappeared, after which she conjured a hand mirror and passed it of to Harry.

"If you experience any lingering pain I want you to get yourself back here as soon as possible."

Harry held up the mirror and looked at the half-inch wide mark that ran from his left ear to just below his lips. Running his finger along the smooth scar he grimaced. "Why is it green?"

"It's more of an olive color, I think," the healer replied.

He gave her an impatient look in return, and she explained. "When you were brought in we concentrated on the life threatening wounds first. We had quiet the time extracting an unfamiliar toxin that was preventing us from closing the wound properly."

Harry's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Toxin?"

The healer nodded. "We were informed the creature that attacked you did so with tentacle-like limbs, is that correct?"

Harry nodded.

"Well it's reasonable to assume that the creature also secretes some sort of venom or perhaps the toxin was indicative of its home environment."

His necked cracked as he stretched his head to the side relieving the tension. It was then that he heard a small knock at the door. Padma stuck her head through and gave him a tight smile. With a wave of his hand she entered and stepped to the side and allowed the healer to complete her business.

"What do you think, Padma," Harry said as he presented his newest scar. "Roguishly handsome or diseased Joker wannabe?"

She shrugged. "I think it looks like maybe you …"

The healer interrupted. "I'll get you the dittany to apply to your scar for the next week, three times a day. Hopefully it will reduce the width if not remove it altogether; we'll have to wait and see."

"In the meantime It'll look like someone ran a green Sharpe across my face."

The healer smiled. "I can always open up your cheek again. Think of the conversation piece that would be."

Harry brushed her off. "Nah, then I'll have two mouths and one of them will have green lipstick. Not really the kind of thing a virile man-type heterosexual like myself needs to project, yeah?"

The healer arched a thin eyebrow at him, turned and exited the room. Padma leaned forward and set her elbows on her knees. "How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I got my ass handed to me by a really creepy razorblade tentacled coat. Which is to say …oww."

"The protections worked last night," she offered. "The Palace was never attacked. I suppose the King's Avatar was enough of a message."

Harry shook his head, mildly confused. "King? Oh, King in Yellow, right." He pursed his lips momentarily. "It said Hastur is coming for me."

Padma's face contorted in sadness and then she closed her eyes to cool her emotions.

"Care to enlighten me?"

Her eyes opened again but she failed to meet Harry's. Instead she looked over at the window. "The Unspeakable One has set his eye on you." After a brief pause she continued. "That is it's real name. I can only assume that one of the Old Ones have found a breach in the Planer Gate, and if that is true then we don't have long before others notice."

Harry tossed his bed sheet aside and sat up. He wavered for a moment to let a small bout of dizziness to pass and then took to his feet. Padma looked at him for a moment, rose as well and crossed to the door. After minute outside, in the hallway, she returned with a large shopping bag.

"You wouldn't want your old clothes. They were," she thought for a moment. "They were beyond yuck."

Harry smirked for a moment and then pulled off his hospital negligee. Padma glanced for a few seconds at his nude body and then reached into the bag to pass him a small package. He ripped the top off and donned a pair of athletic briefs.

"I'm normally a boxers kind of guy."

Padma busied herself pulling out the rest of the clothing. "I though perhaps that with what you have to look forward to that you might appreciate the support."

She passed him a pair of heavy jeans next. "Well, thanks for keeping the boys in mind."

A small smile, at his joke, graced her face. "Anytime."

He slipped the jeans on and then grabbed the t-shirt next and slipped it on and grimaced a bit at the tight fit.

"It's a protective undergarment. While it won't stop a sword, but it should deflect any small arms slashing. It needs to be form fitting, Harry. Get over it."

He let his face relax. "I could have used this yesterday."

Padma arched her head somewhat. "Well if you weren't being a total ass yesterday then I might have suggested it."

He returned her barb with a Gallic shrug and took the proffered shirt. "Anything special about this?"

She shook her head. "Unless you consider high thread count out of the ordinary, and judging from the way you normally dress I would suppose you do."

Harry held up is hand in defense. "No, stop … your razor wit is killing me."

A frown overtook her face at the inference. Harry backed off and waited until he tucked his shirt in and sat down on the bed to slip on the socks she had just laid down. She turned and stepped over to the closet to retrieve the only article of clothing that made it through his battle with the King of Yellow's avatar, his boots. When he tightened the last buckle the door opened a crack.

"Everyone decent?"

Hannah entered and gave a short wave. "Feeling alright, Harry?"

With a nod Harry took to his feet. "We need to make a stop at my flat. There's a few things I have to get, and then we're off to Ireland."


	9. The Stone of Fal

Harry Potter

Chapter Nine

The Stone of Fal

Harry shuffled around in his bedroom closet moving clothes aside and setting boxes atop each other until he found what he was looking for: a thick heavy clothing box. He set it on the bed and open the top, carelessly casting it aside. Inside the box wrapped in white tissue paper, which he tossed aside, was something leather. He grabbed hold of the shoulders and pulled it out, shaking it to the side to let it fall open to its full length. It was a mantled leather duster, heavy and dark. He swung it around and slid his arms through to let it settle like it was tailor-made for him.

Crossing to his bureau he dispelled the security charm on the upper left most drawer and opened it. Leaving it, he crossed to the chest of drawers opposite the bed and pushed it to the side like it was on rails. Looking at the chest and judging the appropriate height he pressed his hand against the bare wall and watched as a two foot section was depressed. He pushed it upward as it disappeared into the wall.

Inside were several fireproof containers which he pulled out and set to the side. One of which, a long thin container, he held up and opened. Set in black plush were two wands he had won from Voldemort, his wand's twin and the Elder wand. They were set aside soon after the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry's reluctance to battle every would-be contender for control of the fabled wand led him in the decision not to use it at all. However, the situation being what it was gave him reason to introduce its power onto the scene.

He slid the wand into the sheath inside the fold of his duster, closed the box and returned Voldemort's yew wand in the wall recess. Another box was opened and he withdrew two rolled up bundles of British pounds in case he came across the need in Ireland. Moving onto a third he withdrew a sack of galleons, a fourth, his moleskin pouch, and a fifth his invisibility cloak. Storing all of them away in his duster he replaced the boxes into the recess and closed the open portion of the wall and pulled the chest of drawers back into its original position. After securing the bureau drawer and activating the security charm once more he turned and left the room.

In the kitchen he found Su Li, Hannah, and Padma waiting for him. Padma was leaning against the hearth, her eyes downcast to the cold fireplace. Hannah sat on the couch with her legs crossed examining her nails, or she was deep in thought, Harry couldn't tell which. Su Li was staring expectantly at the hallway that Harry had emerged from. Her eyes widened slightly and a sly smile graced her lips.

"Nice coat," she said announcing his return.

Harry's confidant stride led him to the middle of the room. He didn't have to call attention to himself because the other girls were already staring.

"I know I'm spinning my wheels here, but I have to say it."

Padma arched an eyebrow in curiosity, and Hannah stood with interest.

"This is my fight. This thing is coming for me so if …"

Padma let loose a frustrated breath of air. "Harry, shut up."

Tension released in his chest that had been present all morning and he met her eyes in silent thanks. She held his gaze for a few moments and then cocked her head expectantly.

With a smile Harry proceeded. "Come on into the kitchen. I need a drink."

He opened a cabinet when the girls seated themselves at the small breakfast table, withdrew a bottle of Firewhiskey and four small glasses.

"It's been Hastur all along," he began.

Padma's face set in mild confusion.

"I don't think we will ever find out exactly why the Hounds chose the Officers of the Order to kill every seventy years. My guess is some freaked out wizard thought it would be fun or profitable to call them to do a little hit on the officers. Check me if I'm wrong here, Padma."

He set the glasses on the table and unscrewed the cap off the bottle. "The original reason the order was formed, way back when, was to add to the King's political base, yeah?"

Padma nodded.

"So for every new knight he made there was another voice in the House of Lords." Pouring the Firewhiskey he continued. "Was the Royal Wizard part of the political scene?"

She shrugged. "I suppose. It was hard not to be in those days." After a pregnant pause her gaze hardened. "Are you saying that you think it was he that started all of this?"

Harry shrugged. "My best guess? No Muggle would know what to do, and the most powerful wizard in the area is closest to the victims. He obviously didn't want to kill the King, and what easier way is there to reduce the amount of voices in the House of Lords than to take out some of its members."

"Then what about the reoccurrence every seventy years?" she inquired with a small amount of speculation.

Harry tossed back his glass, wincing slightly at the burning in his throat. "You know how these things work. Once invoked, rituals have a way of sometimes getting out of hand." The bottle clinked against the glass when it was refilled. "By summoning the Hounds he made it possible to for Hastur to get a foothold in this reality again. Each time …"

Padma's hand slapped down on the table. "The hearts!"

Harry nodded and smiled when she got it. "The source of life; the human heart. The officers were supposedly the most powerful, influential, and honorable of the choices. The Hounds had a taste on the first run and when Hastur smelled out the weakness in the Planer Gate he made his move. Seventy years is an eye-blink to him. Maybe it's how long it takes to use the power he gained from the hearts to force open the crack a little more. But every time it rolls around here come the Hounds to do his bidding and charge up the inter-dimensional battery."

"Then you came along," she stated flatly.

Harry slid his gaze down to the shot glass and spun it around slowly.

Padma looked over at Hannah and Su then back to Harry. "Why are we going to Ireland?"

"The big dick," he answered.

"The Stone of Fal."

Harry pursed his lips and nodded. "We need something big. The Spear and the Sword proved their worth. Holy items are the only thing I know of that might give us a chance against this thing." At that he looked up in worry. "The Cauldron?"

Padma reached down to her belt and its many pockets to withdraw the small cauldron. "What do you have planned, Harry?"

He took Dagda's Cauldron and replaced it in his duster. "I'm going to fuck Hastur with the big holy dildo right up his evil immortal ass."

Oo

On the hill of Tara, in County Meath, on the Isle of Ireland they stood looking around. Rich green grass covered a tall hill that overlooked the flatlands of East-Central Ireland. They stood in the middle of the Forradh or what was otherwise once known as the Royal Seat, the circular fort of the High King of Ireland. There, of course, wasn't any noticeable remains of the ancient fort; only a large semi-spiral impression in the ground noted where the High King made his rule. A dozen or so tourists roamed the area looking at a solitary grave marker and the areas where once stood a thriving kingdom.

"Thirty-nine hundred years ago the Tuatha De Danann brought forth four treasures…" Padma began before Harry interrupted.

"What the hell?" he said in disgust.

Harry's companion spun around. "What?"

"What's that?" He pointed at a raised stone barely a meter in height.

"It's the Stone of Fal."

Harry rolled his eyes and groaned. "We are so fucked."

"What?" Padma asked in confusion.

He turned to face her. "The picture you showed me looked like this thing was fifty feet tall or something not this pre-Christian appeal for Viagra."

"It is kinda small," commented Hannah.

Su Li walked up and put her hand on it, testing its stability. "I think this is definitely one of those times that size really does matter."

Harry cracked his neck in frustration. "Hannah, Su, lay down Muggle Repelling Charms, and Notice-Me-Not charms. We need to clear this area out." He looked around a sighed. "And what's with all the damn sheep!"

"Harry, calm down."

He shook his head. "No, Padma. I came here to find the Stone of Fal and instead what we get is the Stone of Fail."

At the application of the Muggle Repelling Charm several tourists that were at different area's of the Hill suddenly found something else more important to do and started shuffling off the parts unknown. Padma studied the Stone for a few minutes while Harry paced around looking at the site for the final confrontation.

"Harry," called Padma. "Can you levitate the stone? We need to move it."

He stopped and looked up. "Is it that heavy."

"About four hundred pounds," she estimated. "It's got to be atop the Mound of the Hostages."

Harry looked to where she pointed. About two hundred yards to the north was a mound about sixty feet wide standing about ten feet high. His eyes narrowed and his mind figured the possibilities. "It that thing hollow?"

Padma looked at him with reservation. "It's a burial mound, Harry."

He shrugged in thought. "We might be using it for that exact purpose tonight if things don't go as I'd like."

She waved away his pessimism. "The Stone, Harry."

"Oh, right."

He pulled out the Elder Wand, swished, flicked, and silently cast the Charm. The Stone of Fal rose two feet off the ground and Harry walked it across the lush green grass. When they arrived at the Mound of the Hostages he trudged up the southern slope.

"Anywhere in particular?"

"As close to the middle as you can get it," instructed Padma.

He looked from side to side and then back to front. Scooting over and up a few feet he lowered the Stone. "What difference does it make where …"

A tremor shook the ground and Harry was knocked down before he knew what was happening. The Stone pushed him out of the way as it grew in width and height. He quickly crab-walked away and looked up in surprise and a certain amount of awe. The Stone of Fal stopped growing at about thirty feet high and fifteen feet wide. The additional weight made the ground give way slightly securing the stone in a two or three foot setting.

"Now that is what I'm talking about!"

Hannah and Su arrived seconds later at a run. "What happened?" Su asked in excitement.

Harry grinned and got to his feet. He dug into his duster and pulled out a roll of bank notes and his bag of galleons. "Su, I need you to go to Diagon Alley and pick up a few supplies. Hannah, see that town over there?"

She turned and looked at what laughably could be considered a small village in the distance. "Yeah."

He handed her a few bills and sent her off for supplies as well.

As the Auror's Apparated away Padma inquired, "What was all of that about?"

Harry's tooth filled grin reappeared for the first time in days. "Just a little surprise I'm going to cook up just in case I have a chance."

Oo

The afternoon eased through with a cool breeze and clear skies as the four of them picnicked and enjoyed what each of them expected to be their last day on Earth. Hannah and Su disappeared for a few hours to set their individual affairs in order should the worse come to worst. Harry thought that they actually snuck off to have an afternoon delight which was what he had in mind for his youthful companion.

"Want to make some good use of the Mound?" he asked Padma adding a slight waggle to his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes in return. "Is it possible for you to be any more romantic? We are sitting atop one of the most beautiful places in the country. The sun is shining, the grass is soft and bug free, the wine we had for lunch is mostly gone, and you present a last chance for a memorable day as 'wanna boink on the mound?'"

Harry looked at her in revulsion. "Huh? I thought we could maybe set up a spear-filled trap or something for tall, dark, and tentacled." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But if all you have on your mind is sex … well far it be for me to deny a lady her fondest desire."

He watched as she squirmed at being called out so he pressed on. "I do have one request though, you have to keep on the batgirl costume. I mean if you are going to take advantage of me like this, in front of the sheep, and all."

Padma's frustration reached its peak. "Harry!"

He blinked. "What?"

She took a deep, calming breath. "Tonight one or all of us will most likely die a most horrible death at the … hands of an unspeakable evil. Can you please do me a favor and reject everything in your demented mind for an hour and just be slightly romantic and caring?"

Harry's face fell and he looked around to make sure nobody was watching then he turned his head back to her. "Just for one hour?"

She eyed him with suspicion and then looked down between his legs in question. "Okay, fifteen minutes. That should be more than enough time. We'll probably even have time for a cigarette after."

Mischief ran across his face. "Oh Ho Ho! Just for that, you're on top; enough of this 'deeper Harry, deeper Harry.' I'm just gonna lay there and sweat."

oO

"Deeper, Harry! Deeper, Harry!"

"You're on top. Push down harder, dammit!" he snarled. "Bloody hell! Owww!"

Oo

Padma paced back and forth atop the Mound of the Hostages watching as the last remnants of the sun disappeared on the horizon. Harry exited the ancient burial crypt limping slightly and shot an annoyed look at his partner.

She smiled back. "Everything okay?"

His eyes narrowed. "They're bruised."

"Sorry," she said with a wince.

Two cracks of Apparition sounded back in the circle where they originally arrived signaling Hannah and Su's return. Harry's slight limp caused concern in both the girls.

"What happened?" Su asked as she looked for signs of a battle that they might have missed.

Harry waved them off topic. "You two have fun?"

Hannah stiffened slightly, but Su nodded eagerly with a bright, satisfied smile. She saw her friend's reluctance and elbowed her lightly in the side. "Relax, Hannah. Harry knows."

The blonde's, normally pale, cheeks reddened. She turned around wrapping her cloak around her body and shuffled off. Su took a noticeable breath and sighed. "Be nice to her, Harry. She still coming to terms with liking girls too."

Harry's mouth unhinged a little, but he recovered quick enough. "I'm always nice to Hannah… even if I have visions of threesomes and foursomes dancing in my head; then I'm especially nice."

Su sent him a scathing look. "Do we have to do this now?"

His eyebrows waggled and he thumbed over his shoulder. "There's a pretty roomy Celtic crypt back there if you're in a hurry."

Before Su was able to go unhinged on Harry's perversions he held up a hand. His eyes rolled upward and he cocked his head. "I'll have to take you up on your offer after we kill this thing, Su."

Su's head shot up to the sky for she now heard the sound. "What is that?"

Harry's face turned grim. "Something we missed last night. Hannah! Padma! Everyone get to the big dick!"

They scrambled to put the Stone of Fal to their backs as the sound above them increased. WHOMP WHOMP. The feeling of dread Harry remembered from his dream returned.

"Harry," Hannah almost yelled with a shaky voice. "Don't you think we'd be safer somewhere ... I don't know… maybe like _inside_?

He kept his eyes to the sky, searching for what he knew would be the cause of his future nightmares. "Not much room in there after the set up. Maybe one or two people could fit. Go ahead if you want."

"There it is!" Padma yelled.

Harry jerked his head to the direction her finger was pointing. "Su, you're the sharpshooter. Take it out!"

Su Li stepped out maybe a foot away from the Stone and brought her wand to bear. She saw the shadowy figure flying about two hundred yards out. Extending her left arm straight toward the beast with her fingers following its path, she narrowed her eyes and shifted her weight, taking a determined step forward. Her right arm whipped around and jabbed along the aimed line. "Percucio!"

A red stream of light shot out and raced faster than the human eye could reasonably track, but they knew immediately that her aim was true. I loud shriek sounded in the distance. The creature jerked in the air and then spiraled toward the ground. A few seconds later it was out of sight in the darkness.

"Yes!" she yipped and grinned widely as she spun around doing a victory dance.

Harry released a relieved breath. "I think I just came."

A strong breeze of wind whooshed by causing then all to duck in response. He knew it was only the beginning.

"Light'um up!"

Hannah swirled her wand upward, a flame whip shot out and snapped in the air above.

"Solarus!" Padma yelled to the sky shooting a ball of light a hundred feet up where it broke apart and shot in multiple directions lighting up the sky all around.

"Oh hell," Harry whispered to himself. Hundreds littered the sky obliterating the stars behind. "Su, you and I with Fiendfyre. Hannah, Padma, keep them off of us!

A moment later the sky was awash with cursed flame. After fifty yards the lead of Su's stream took the form of a giant raven and chased Byakhee after Byakhee through the air snapping at their hindquarters, cutting them in twine, and incinerating others that had the misfortune to meet the living flame head on. Harry's flame shot straight up scattering some of the damned creatures while turning others that weren't fast enough instantly into blackened ash.

He took a couple of steps forward trusting that Padma would keep his back. He felt the energy draining from him as he continued to pour forth more and more of the cursed flame. Su had stopped feeding the flame only after a few seconds and was sending it in an erratic pattern through the thickest of the Byakhee. Harry had kept on, trying to make his flame as big as possible. Eventually, feeling the strain, he stopped the feeding and staggered. With his concentration broken he shook his head to clear out the blackness that was squeezing in on him. It wouldn't do to pass out at the beginning of the battle, he thought.

Hearing Padma's screams woke him back to the situation. Looking up he saw the flaming head of a giant serpent heading straight toward him. Raising his wand toward his creation he send forth his concentration through the Elder Wand and watched as it veered back upward into the mass of buzzing Byakhee.

Su jumped backward slamming into the Stone of Fal, as Hannah's flame whip snapped in front of her face decapitating one of the braver creatures trying in vain to attack their enemy.

The sound of the creature's wings increased making it hard to hear their own voices. Shrieks sounded way too close as Harry directed the cursed flame back down toward them, having it encircle the Stone in an inverted whirlpool of burning death. The heat was incredible and he widened the circle. Hannah fell back and extinguished her whip only to turn to follow the flame upward with her eyes to see several Byakhee landing atop the Stone and crawling their way quickly down.

Several black multi-faceted eyes focused on her from the single head. Its maw opened dripping grey ichor, and she saw its serrated teeth. Terror froze her when the Byakhee made a leap toward its prey.

A burst of invisible force banished the creature into Harry's Fiendfyre and Hannah was broken from her stupor. Anger took hold of her and she jabbed her wand upward at another that was quickly making its way down. Knocking the creature upward with a strong Banishment Charm it collided with three more and they fell into the cursed fire.

Harry's concentration was at its limit. "Everyone back against the stone!"

With a last bit of effort he rapidly expanded the coils outward taking out a number of them that were vying for a chance to attack from above before the Fiendfyre extinguished itself. He dropped to his knees exhausted. A lance of pain made itself known from his chest at his labored breathing.

THOOM!

The ground shook knocking Padma and Hannah off their feet. Su only stood because she was firmly pressing her back on the Stone.

THOOM!

"Earthquake!" Su screamed.

Padma looked around in panic. "The Byakhee … they're gone!"

THOOM!

Harry looked around. "That's no earthquake." He took to his feet and staggered around the Stone of Fal. Less than a mile away he watched as any artificial light was extinguished in a circular pattern.

"Padma, I need a flare."

Obeying her order Padma waved her wand back and lashed it forward. "Solarus!"

The familiar ball of light shot out and centered itself high over the darkness before exploding and lighting up the night sky. Harry swallowed, wincing against the dryness of his throat. "Well, that's a little bit bigger than I expected."

THOOM!

"What the hell is making that noise?" Su spat.

Hannah took hold of her lover's arm. "I think it's its feet."

Harry looked stunned. "It has feet? Then what are those flipper things?"

Padma shook her head. "I'm more worried about those tentacles."

THOOM!

"Last call for alcohol," Harry sniped. He reached into his duster and pulled out a silver flask. After unscrewing the top he took a long pull and passed it to Padma. She didn't even bother to sniff at the opening before tossing back a mouthful and swallowing. Su was next and then Hannah.

Harry took another sip and then screwed the top back on.

THOOM!

"I need all of you on the south end of the hill," he stated flatly. "If things go balls up you need to alert the Ministry."

"They already know, Harry," Hannah informed him. "Su and I filed a report with Kingsley before we came back."

Harry rolled his eyes. "And, of course, we are all by ourselves out here in the middle of nowhere. Nice."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Cocking his head to the side he saw Su give him a reassuring smile. "We're with you, Harry."

THOOM!

Hastur's advance seemed to be making good progress. The ground shook with each step … or whatever it was taking. Harry looked back to where the original place they Apparated in and then back to Hastur's bulk in the dimming light of the flare.

"We need to lure him directly over the Stone. I can adjust, but it would make it a hell of a lot easier if it would cooperate."

Padma tapped her wand on her thigh. "And how, exactly, are we supposed to direct a thousand ton monster in any direction, much less the way we want?"

Harry's lips thinned. "Bait."

oO

"A little more to the left," Harry yelled as Su levitated him to the top of the Stone of Fal. "Okay, about a foot higher."

Once he was centered he braced himself. "Okay drop me!"

The Levitation Charm ceased and he dropped. The second his boots touched the surface a deep rumbling sounded within the Stone of Fal, the Stone of Destiny. A rejuvenating jolt shot through Harry's body and a keening whine sounded, growing louder each second until he thought surely that every person in Ireland was alerted to what was happening. The whine changed to a loud roar shaking the ground.

The girls held their hands over their ears and were backing away from the Stone when it started emitting a golden white glow. The sound, however, didn't bother Harry. Instead he seemed to feed off of it. All fear of the coming battle left him. All weariness fell from him. Setting one foot to the side he looked out over the hill to Hastur in all of its nightmarish bulk. Tentacles waved in the air, several hideous maws opened and closed, splattering ichor all over, several fifty foot appendages with pincher-like protrusions snapped hundred year old trees like they were toothpicks. All of mans unimagined horror made up the creature before him.

Harry should have run screaming. Instead he cocked one knee and leaned forward.

"Come and get some, baby."


	10. Hastur the Unspeakable

Chapter Ten

Hastur the Unspeakable

THOOM!

Harry turned his head around and saw the girls taking positions behind and either side of the Stone. Padma looked up at him with pride and confidence. Hannah and Su were equally as hopeful. It seemed as if the light emitted from the Stone of Fal washed away the negative emotions.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The four of them looked from side to side and behind them as sounds of Apparition filled the air. A dozen and then two dozen Aurors appeared. Then more Ministry personnel followed: Hit Wizards, Obliviators, Unspeakables, and a sundry of clerical, and other support personnel arrived until the hill was littered with volunteers.

A last CRACK revealed none other than Minister Shacklebolt looking up at Harry atop the Stone of Fal.

"Hey Kingsley!" Harry called out with a big grin on his face. "Glad you could make it."

The tall black man waved. "Lo, Harry! Sorry, we're late."

THOOM!

Hastur's extremities had made it within striking range of the bottom of the hill. Harry judged another two steps and things would get nasty. "Tell your people to back up. I need this thing near the Stone!"

Kingsley used a Sonorous Charm and directed the Wizard force. "Flanking positions! Drive it to Harry!"

THOOM!

Hundreds of tentacles lashed out and slammed onto a few shield charms knocking wizards fifty or more feet back. Harry watched as they tumbled out of sight over the hill. A rainbow of colored curses showered the air as everyone threw every type of curse imaginable at the horror before them. Cracks of Apparition sounded all around when wizards disappeared to safety and reappeared in a more advantageous point of attack.

Harry looked down at the furious visage of his lover. "Padma!"

Her face turned upward in expectation.

"Get the girls to help me tilt this thing toward Hastur!"

He looked back up. And saw the creature barely fazed by the makeshift army's attack. Its crab-like claw held a number of wizards in the air, snapping them in half and releasing their bloodied bodies to the ground like so much offal. Harry felt the Stone of Fal shift underneath him and almost lost his balance. Quickly he dropped on his butt and applied a Sticking Charm to hold him as his girls readied him for his attack.

A ear splitting roar issued forth form Hastur eating through the magic of the Stone. Harry felt the beginnings of spine-shaking terror devouring his confidence. "Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry," he chanted with impatience. "A little more… a little more."

"THERE!" he screamed.

The Stone of Fal shuddered as it stopped and Harry got a wicked smile on his face. Applying a Sonorous Charm he yelled out. "HASTUR, YOU PASTY-ASSED BITCH! OPEN WIDE!"

Shoving the Elder Wand down into the hole he drilled out with magic earlier he cried, "ERRUPTUS!"

The stone shook as the massive amount of consecrated potion he earlier filled Dagda's Cauldron and secured to the bottom of the Stone, traveled up and jetted out. Harry grabbed on to the Stone for support and screamed. "TAKE THAT IN THE FACE, BITCH! WOOOHOOO."

The milky white substance shot out of the top of the Stone of Fal and arced high and long splashing the two-hundred foot monster in several of its serrated-toothed maws. Steam billowed from wherever the substance splashed and Hastur roared in pain and anger.

"DO YA LIKE IT WHEN I DO THAT YOU EVIL FUCK!"

The geyser kept erupting like a fireman's hose covering Hastur until he shifted positions. THOOM!

"TURN IT!" Harry yelled down at his girls. "OH SHIT!"

The Sticking Charm applied to the seat of his jeans couldn't withstand the strike of a single four foot thick tentacle the slammed into Harry wrapping around him and ripping him off the Stone. The golden-white light emanating from the Stone immediately failed.

Panicked screams surrounded the area as insane, vile, evil blanketed the hill. The majority of the witches and wizards turned and ran in any direction but toward Hastur. Some dropped their wands and were effortlessly scooped up by the withering appendages and crab-like pinchers. Some were tore apart while others were snapped in half.

THOOM!

Hastur made his way to the top of the hill and reared back and roared in triumph. Padma, Su and Hannah took cover at the base of the Stone, trying desperately to hold on to whatever sanity they still possessed. Padma looked up and almost wept at Harry's death. He hadn't stood a chance against the Old One, yet he held his ground and went out with bravery and his stupid childish wit that she was just now learning to ignore.

Burning hatred coursed through her veins as she turned back around to Su and Hannah. "Get me up there." At the scared look on their faces Padma carried on. "Harry's idea was good. It was hurting Hastur. We need to turn the tide back on our side or we've lost."

Su braced herself against the Stone and hauled Hannah up with her. Together they hurriedly levitated Padma near the top of the Stone where she applied a Sticking Charm and laid herself as flat as she could against the top. Thrusting her wand down the hole she cast the same charm Harry did before.

"_Erruptus_!"

Once again a geyser of the milky white Consecration Potion jetted out of the tip, shooting in a wide arc into the raised form of Hastur. It was almost impossible to miss at any angle now that he was so close. It would take almost a full minute to lumber out of the way and during that minute, Padma was going to shoot as much of the holy love juice as she could.

Pieces of severed Hastur fell to the ground all around. Smaller pieces of tentacles that had been chopped off by the small army of wizards made it more difficult for Hastur to do its evil best, but even the flailing remains still posed a deadly threat.

Padma flinched as grey ichor sprayed against her and the Stone from one of the wounds, and she screamed when she felt something grab her ankle. Twisting away she looked down swinging her wand along.

"Hannah!?" she gasped at seeing the Auror and her partner along side stuck to the Stone.

"Su and I are taking turns … just in case," Hannah yelled back.

Padma frowned, but admired their courage all the same. "Stay down."

"_Inversio_!" a voice rang out over the painful yell of Hastur and the geyser of milky Consecration Potion ceased its flow ending in a painfully slow dribble at the tip.

Padma panicked. "What the hell?" She shoved her wand back in the hole and yelled, "_Erruptus_!"

She waited for a moment for something to happen and then tried again. "_Erruptus Magnus_!"

The earth shook again and she couldn't tell whether it was Hastur moving or …

The Stone of Fal violently shifted and felt as if it was falling, but it never did. Padma looked up and watched in horror as Hastur had finally done something smart. The creature advanced so far up the hill that it was standing on its hindquarters and towering over the Stone and thusly most of the wizard army and the girls attached to the Stone. Hastur was going to drop its great bulk atop them and end the resistance in one fell swoop.

Cracks of wizards Disapparating sounded as they deduced Hastur's intent, and Padma flinched and closed her eyes. "In the next life, Harry."

The Stone of Fal shook once more and then Padma felt a rush of air blowing her hair back. She opened her eyes and looked down at the earth falling away. Confused she looked back up and panicked.

"JUMP!"

Casting the counter to the Sticking Charm she pushed against the Stone and dropped through the air as it rocketed toward Hastur. She twisted before she could build up too much speed and Disapparated. A crack sounded closer to the ground where she Apparated and she slammed into the unyielding earth a half second later.

She was stunned as a wash of blackness enveloped her field of vision.

O_o

Harry swung through the air tight in Hastur's grip. The thick tentacle squeezed tighter, exerting pressure all along his ribs and legs. His lungs strained in tight gasps as he tried his best to keep his chest expanded. "_Sectumsempra_!" yelled Harry slashing his wand crossways across the tentacle. Muscle snapped underneath the alien skin and Harry felt the monster's appendage slacken noticeably until it dropped him into freefall.

He gasped in a breath of relatively fresh air, considering he was mere feet away from something that hadn't taken a shower in about a billion years. Fifty feet from the ground he felt something else grab a hold of him. Swinging his head around he spotted one of the Aurors he had worked beside at the Ministry. "Harrington! Fancy meeting you here."

The Auror's face was taught with strain as he held the back of Harry's duster and dove for the ground. "Hang on, Harry! We're coming in fast!"

Five feet from the ground, Harrington dropped his cargo and watched as Harry tucked and rolled. The Auror didn't see the claw-like appendage in front of him until he was snapped out of the air and torn in half.

"Dammit!" said Harry as he jumped to his feet and saw Harrington's body fall, in two pieces from either side of the huge claw. "Accio broom!"

Harrington's Nimbus 2001 whipped around and shot at Harry who grabbed it and flung himself atop without waiting for it to stop. He made his bearings toward the Stone of Fal and leaned into the broom. It almost seemed that Hastur knew his destination and went to block him with everything that could reach.

The creature rose up off the ground and threw dozens of tentacles and crab-claws in Harry's way only to be daunted at every pass while the former Quidditch player was in his element.

Getting a clear view of the entrance to the Mound of Hostages Harry raised the Elder Wand and gave a quick clockwise spin of his wrist. "_Inversio_!"

Due to the sheer number of limbs Hastur was throwing, Harry couldn't wait around for Dagda's Cauldron to reverse itself on the bottom of the Stone. He trusted, instead, in Padma to redo the Eruption Charm as she had when his concentration was broken with his abduction.

Instead he pulled up and tried his level best to distract Hastur's attention away from Padma and the Stone. Even though Harry could see the carnage Hastur was causing across the hillside he thought the Old One was intent on his death more than any of the others. The creature even went so far as to raise up on its hind end to close in on him and inadvertently allowed the Stone a better purchase in its midsection as it slammed into the ancient creature.

o_O

Padma groaned as she pushed herself up from the ground and with a second thought turned over instead. Kingsley Shacklebolt entered her field of vision and held out his hand. When she grabbed on he hauled her to her feet with surprising strength. Sweat ran down his face and she could see the exhaustion he must have been enduring. Even for the short amount of time the battle had been active everyone had been casting their strongest curses at Hastur.

"Harry's got him on the run."

Padma's shocked astonishment showed with a excited yell. "He's alive?"

Kingsley looked up at the number of brooms in the air and the wizards fighting individual tentacles until he found who he was looking for. "There."

Pride welled up in the center of her chest as she saw Harry evade a snapping claw from Hastur and return a curse of his own. His trajectory led him underneath the creature and she watched as he cast another curse, or it might have been a charm because she noted something amazing – Hastur was currently in flight.

"The Stone!" She laughed.

O_o

Harry avoided another claw and shot underneath Hastur trying his best to guide the makeshift missile upward. The fleshy substance that was Hastur's underbelly caved inward where the Stone of Fal connected. A green noxious gas was produced where the Stone met flesh from the Stone burning its way through the hideous creature.

It was then that Harry spotted them: Hannah and Su, still adhered near the base of the Stone.

"Oh hell."

A half second later he closed within yelling distance and made a quick decision. "SU, JUMP!"

The Auror didn't think twice and countered the sticking charm letting her body into freefall. Harry spun in a tight circle and dove. Concentration hardened his face as he reached out his hand. Su tried her best not to scream but he could see the fear in her eyes.

"HAAAARRYYYY!"

Harry urged the Nimbus faster and another second later he had a death-grip on Su's wrist.

"Gotcha!"

Su reached her left hand up to get a better grip. "Harry! Don't drop me!"

He pulled up on the Nimbus and tried to level them off before he plowed into the rapidly approaching ground. "Five more seconds, Su."

He spotted Kingsley and Padma not too far away and he banked to the left before he saw Padma's face wrenched in panic. The sudden jerk of Su in his hand shocked him almost to the point of losing his grip, but he tightened his hand and double checked see that she was safe. Blood jetted out of her mouth spraying across his body. It was then that Harry saw that the lower half of her body was missing and all life left his friend's eyes.

"NOOOO! Bastard!"

With pained agony running through him he let go the remnants of his fellow Auror and pulled up to make another run when he spotted Padma blow past him. He leaned into the broom and caught up a few seconds later.

"Cover me!" she yelled.

Harry nodded and send Severing Curses after anything that came within twenty yards of them both. Taking a quick glance downward he saw that they had risen a good two hundred yards in the air and Hastur seemed to be rapidly gaining altitude with each passing second.

Padma found her way to Hannah and was keeping pace beside the Stone of Fal as it imbedded itself further inside Hastur's midsection, burning its way inch by inch as it forced the evil creature away from the Earth's bounds.

Still too far away to hear what was being said between the women Harry watched as Padma's face screwed up in frustration.

"Damn it."

Double checking a clear path Harry darted under a swinging tentacle and jetted up to see what the problem was.

"She's scared!" Padma yelled above the noise of the wind.

Harry took a leap of faith and holstered his wand. "Cover us!"

With his free hand he leaned to the side and placed it upon the base of the stone. The keening whine from before sounded above all other noise and the portion of the Stone of Fal that wasn't embedded in Hastur lit up with in a bright white light. Energy soured through him erasing any fatigue he felt from the battle and imbibing and those around him with the strength to endure the panic and terror that had eaten at them.

With her face turned away, Harry couldn't see Hannah's reaction but he could see Padma's relief as her own face eased.

"Now!"

Pieces of Hastur fell around them as the Stone seemed to be burning faster with the added contact with Harry. He looked up and saw what his presence was doing and then back to Padma who was double checking to make sure Hannah was securely on the broom. Dread rose up from Harry's stomach and it wasn't from Hastur's presence. It was from the certain knowledge that he had just deduced.

Padma pulled away from the Stone with a bright smile on her face. She glanced over at her partner and witnessed the resignation on his face.

"What?" she yelled in confusion.

"Go on! I'm right behind you."

She shook her head. "Together!"

"You're too slow with the two of you on one broom. I'll cover your back!"

With a quick look down she nodded and then dove with as much speed as she could muster. Harry took in a deep breath and then let it out. "Being noble is really beginning to suck."

Grasping his knees to the shaft of the broom he withdrew his wand and applied a sticking charm to his hand and feet. He stuck one foot out and planted it against the side of the Cauldron which was still spewing out a massive amount of liquid forcing them higher into the air. Then he let the broom drop away and secured himself firmly to the Cauldron. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

"Harry! What the hell are you doing?"

He snapped his head around and saw Padma and Hannah keeping pace beside him.

"Get out of here, Hastur will…"

"He's not fighting anymore." Padma yelled. "I think the Stone has killed him."

Harry looked from side to side and saw whatever remaining tentacles hanging loosely, and the roaring that the creature was emitting had ceased. But he shook his head.

"He wouldn't be here if here was dead."

The glow from the Stone visibly increased with a sudden lurch.

"Get away. This thing's going to blow."

Padma shook her head. "Give me your hand, Harry!"

Exasperation overtook the Auror. "Fuck off, Padma before both of you get killed!"

Hannah cupped her hand to Padma's ear saying something Harry couldn't quite make out.

Another bright pulse of light, outshining the one before surged once more from the Stone. Harry closed his eyes against the light before it blinded him and when he opened them he saw that Hannah was reaching out to touch the Stone. He swung his free hand up to bat hers away when she grabbed him. To Harry's growing horror he realized that Hannah wasn't grasping his wrist tightly; she was stuck to him.

Another pulse of light blinded him. They were coming rapidly now, only seconds apart.

"Let go!" He screamed at Hannah in a panic. "I don't know what's going to happen."

Padma closed the remaining gap and grabbed the front of his duster pulling Harry with her free hand. "You go, we go."

He watched the seriousness in her face and understood what she was saying. They were just as stupid and noble as he was. _Figures._

"We're probably going to die."

Hannah leaned in. "We just saved the world. How am I going to top that?"

The light pulsing was making it hard to see anything other than dark shapes of his friends. "It's not everything it's cracked up to be."

"Oh, Harry," Padma started after remembering something. "Just thought you might want to know that whoever the Stone of Fal reacts to like this is supposed to be High King of Ireland. Destiny and all."

The rapid pulsing of the light had almost become a constant when Harry laughed into the empty air below.

"Hail to the king, Baby."

Then Darkness.

End.

O_O

Alternate Ending

Author's notes: You can enjoy the ending of the story if you liked it or keep reading and see where Harry and Company might wind up.

Then Darkness.

_So fucking cold_. The only heat was coming from his companions as they held on to each other. There was no light, no sound, no earth, no sky. But there was thought which would be wonderful if he was telepathic or something. The only sensory perception he had was touch and the only thing he had to touch was himself and his friends. Well he had more than enough time to touch himself when he was a teenager. At least the his friends were girls.

He couldn't imagine spending eternity floating around in nothingness touching, oh, say Ron.

Magic didn't work here. The Stone of Fal had grown dark and silent. The Cauldron had stopped spewing it's potion. Hastur was gone. Disappeared, or whatever happens when a immovable evil object meets an irresistible holy force.

Time ceased to have meaning. It felt as if they had been floating there for days, weeks, eons. The only thing that kept out sanity intact was the basic form of communication we used, writing on each other's palms with our fingers. They kept it basic. Scared. Cold. Horny. Well, the girls kept it simple.

O_o

On the hill of Tara, in County Meath, on the Isle of Ireland stood two very tall men. One dressed in a shoulder to toe black cloak. A hood covered his head and showed nothing of his face except a bit of nose and a three day growth of stubble from his chin.

His companion spun on him with impatience. "If they find out about this we are both dead. I don't know about you, but I think this is a really bad idea."

"Calm yourself," the cloaked figure said with a slight British accent without moving so much as a wrinkle of his attire. "The beings trapped beyond were not meant to be there. It is either a choice of leaving them there and dealing with the resulting deterioration of the walls enclosing them or releasing them now and hope I am able to close the rift in time."

The shorter of the two raised the thick shaft of wood he was leaning against and slammed it to the ground. "Yeah, but if we leave them there we can have the backing of the Council behind us when the hole… oh forget it."

He stood there tapping his foot and whispered, "Greater good, greater good, greater good."

The tall man leaned his head backward and looked up to the sky. "Now might be a good time to step back."

The smaller man looked up, shock showed on his face. "Stars and Stones. What is that?"

Final Author's Note: This was originally going to be a lurch into The Dresden Files Universe. But knowing how I am lately I don't want to start something and not be able to finish it thus leaving you all hanging. After I finish "Taste of Blood" I might come back and continue Sarcastic!Harry's adventures but for now this is it. I hope it was enjoyable to you and if it was then leave a comment. If it wasn't then leave a comment as well. I have fairly thick skin. Thanks either way.


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